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Vietnam Veterans of fimerica
Chapter One

January, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2 , VoL 1

From the Desk of John
Bereeron. Vice President

I would like to start the first issue of the newsletter for
1995 by handing out some well deserved Kudos to the follow¬
ing:

• William (Pete) Ruby of Fair Haven for watching over
the piece of marble and turning it over to WA #1 so that we
may continue with the project, and also for helping with the
process of transporting the marble.

• Donald Lehy, manager of J.R Noonan Transport for the
flatbed that was used in transporting the marble.

• Scott Adams for taking time to do the driving and helping
with loading and unloading.

• Mike Winslow of the Carving Studio of West Rutland for
his interest in this project and for allowing us to "house" the
marble at their facility.

• Beth Higgins for her time and expertise in producing a
very professional newsletter.

• Dick Doyle for making me look like a Genius. Dick has
done an astounding job with the membership for WA #1.

• For all those new members and those who have renewed
their membership.

KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU!

Editor's note: While John is handing out Kudos, Let's hand some
back to him for all the time, energy and hard work he has put into
WA #7 since his election last year! Well Done, John!

Honor the Vet Program
Joined by Two More Businesses

This month the Honor the Vet Program is joined by two
new businesses, bringing our total to 19.

The first is Greg Barsanti, C.P.A., whose oflSce is located
on the 7th floor of the Service Building at 128 Merchants
Row. Greg, a Rutland resident, served in Vietnam with the
Marine Corps, He was very' instrumental in bringing the Moving
Wall to Rutland in 1991, something we can never thank him
enough for.

Greg offers Income Tax Preparation - Personal/Corpo-
rate/Partnership/Non-Profit, and Pension/Trust and Estate/
Business Consulting as well as other services. He is offering
a 20% discount on all the above services.

The second business to join is Two By Two, owned and
operated by Lory and Bob Smith of Pittsford, VT. Bob served
with the 82nd Airborne in Vietnam from December '65 -

November '66.

Two By Two specializes in hand-cut, hand-painted wooden
bird and animal jewelry. Beginning with two pair made for a
gift, the demand has grown to over 230 species (including
mythical and whimsical) birds and animals. Bob does the cut¬
ting and Lory does the painting, and they are helped by their
two children Tomasea and Jared. They are offering a 10%
discount on all mail order or direct sales. Contact them at
(802)483-6121.

We urge everyone to patronize all the businesses that be¬
long to the Honor the Vet Program. These fine folks obvi¬
ously believe in the Veteran Community and the least we can
do is support them in return.

Honor the Vet Program

Each month Chapter One will welcome any new partici¬
pants in the Honor The Vet Program in the newsletter. This
will acknowledge and thank the business people who are par¬
ticipating, as well as keep you up to date on who is offering
what for a discount. The current participants are listed below
with their discounts.

BUSINESS DISCOUNT

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus 10%

2. Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair io%

3. Clem's Kitchen io%

4. Jake's Light Trucking 10-20%

5. Adirondack Tire Merchants 10-20%

6. Pappy's Restaurant

7. Anny Navy Store

8. Ron's Sunoco

9. Sal's Restaurant

10. Howard's Sunoco

11. Boss Threads

12. Michael's Handmade Wooden

13. Buxton's Sunoco

14. Bob's Hunting & Fishing

15. Kym-Je Jewelers

16. C & S Consulting Group

17. Lauro's Restaurant

18. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

19. Two By Two

10% + FREE coffee/dessert
10 %
5%
10 %
10 %
10 - 20 %

Toys 10-20%

5% off labor & parts
2 %
10 %
20 %
10 %
20 %
10 %

Thanks to all these establishments for believing in the vet¬
eran! Show your membership card from any veteran's orga¬
nization (or other proof of service) to obtain your discount at
any of these places!

Do you know of a business who might like to participate in
The Honor The Vet Program? This program sets a precedent
in the state, & to be strong, it needs businesses. Contact John
Bergeron at 747-4060 to have a rep. visit the business &
explain the program.

Controversy Erupts in Small Maine Town

Recently we were alerted to a potential act which would
dishonor the memory' of a fellow Vietnam veteran and MIA.
The following letters ask for our help. If you are concerned
about this issue, perhaps a letter of support might help their
cause.

Dear Sir,

We have a problem in my comer of the USA. Last spring,
the Board of Selectmen in this small Maine coastal town (Mt.
Desert) elected to honor the only Vietnam casualty. Long over¬
due, we also decided to honor and include other war dead by
n amin g a small village green the Joseph T. Musetti Jr. Veterans
Memorial Park. Musetti, still officially listed as one of 17 Maine
men MIA, was serving his second tour of duty in Vietnam. A
volunteer park committee has been raising funds and initiated
plans for landscaping, flagpole, memorial, and a plaque with
names of all war dead.

As a member of that board I am appalled and ashamed of
the most recent events. Unbelievable, after more than six months,
several citizens decided that the MIA name should be removed
and the park renamed Veterans Memorial Park. With total disre¬
gard for the elderly parents and family, petitioners have suc-
cessfulK' recorded enough signatures (244) to move the ques¬
tion of name change to the annual town meeting in March.
Therefore, the potential for a disgraceful decision to be ren¬
dered is very realistic. I am very concerned that it will really
happen.

Everywhere in the USA the MIA is honored, but here nearly
a year after the naming, removal of the name will dishonor an

We Honor Our Vets

BROWNSVILLE GIRL
SHOE REPAIR

John Bergeron

0\A/ner

20 Center Street
Rutland, VT 05701
( 802 ) 747-4060

Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5;30
Sat. 8:00-Noon

MIA and certainly disgrace the family. They deserve better. Will
you please help us? We do need outside assistance.

Sincerely,
Harve>' M. Heel

P.O. Box 175, Northeast Harbor, ME 046£

207-276-5431

Dear Sir:

As a frequent visitor to the Bar Harbor area, I am appalled at
the controversy developing over the Joseph T. Musetti, Jr., Vet¬
erans Memorial Park in Mount Desert. Having personally expe¬
rienced the spitting, the name calling, the many insults so com¬
mon to the Vietnam veteran, I consider this occurrence in a
small town as major in scope and magnitude. It also has the
potential to be the ughest.

Last spring the town officials acted properly in naming the
park in honor of the only Vietnam casualt>. He is still officially
listed as one of 15 Maine men missing in action. Long overdue,
this recognition does reflect the wishes of a grateful nation.
Apparently there are a number of people who think otherwise
and that he is not worthy of this honor.

My concern is that there are 194 people (who signed peti¬
tions to remove the veteran's name from the park) ready and
willing to participate in the degradation, assassination of the
name of an MIA. Why? Normally Americans pride themselves
in supporting MIA families. They don't sign petitions against
them creating more grief and sorrow. To remove his name can¬
not be justified and should not be permitted. What are the real
reasons or motives behind the petitioners so dedicated to this
unjust cause?

Realistically speaking, I fear that the lack of printed oppor
tion to these people indicates the possibility that Mount Deseii
could cariy^ out one of the most disgraceful and tragic acts in
its history.

Where are the veterans organizations? The good people?

Robert A. Bums
Ayer, Ma., and Bar Harbor ME

Veterans Advisory Board

Steve Faye has volunteered to represent WA #1 on Rep¬
resentative Bernard Sanders Vermont Veterans Advisory
Board. This board is made up of veterans throughout Ver¬
mont. They will meet four times this year. If anyone else is
interested, please let John know.

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548-0043

Senator Jefford Updates Vermont Veterans on
Major Veterans Legislation Passed in 1994; Goals for 1995

Accomplishments - Major Veterans
Legislation Enacted During 1994:

VA Appropriations -

• Overall VA appropriation increased $900 million, from
$36.7 to $37.6 billion. Almost entire increase went to medi¬
cal care account (which will rise $600 million from $15.6
billion to $ 16.2 billion).

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) -

• COLA to recipients of Disability Compensation, and
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) (to survi¬
vors).

• COLA to be equivalent to Social Security COLA -
now expected to be 2.6%

Disability Compensation for Persian Gulf Veterans -

»VA directed to award compensation to Gulf veterans
who suffer "mysterious" disabling maladies - even though
medical science does not yet understand causes of mala¬
dies. (Priority access to health care already mandated).

• Also, VA directed to; conduct outreach; establish uni¬
form medical evaluation protocols; and collect data on
spouses and children.

• Authorization of more research into the causes of, and
cures for, Persian Gulf illnesses.

Medical Care -

• Authorization of $395 million+ for construction and
leases.

• Reenactment of expiring homeless programs - halfway
house contract care, and other non-institutionaL residential,
and community-based care programs.

• Limit medical personnel cuts to 4500 employees. (Ad¬
ministration proposed VA staff cuts of25,000).

Claims Processing -

•Immediate short term improvements - RO authority to
accept document photocopies (rather than certified cop¬
ies); single-member BVA decision-making authority; removal
of ceiling on number of BVA members; BVA case "fast-
tracking".

• Pay raise to BVA members (to Administrative Law
Judge levels) to assure retention. New performance stan¬
dards/peer review.

• Creation of a Commission to recommend further

changes in the adjudication system.

Reenactment and Updating of Veterans Reemploy¬
ment Rights laws -

• As under prior legislation, veteran guaranteed right to
assume pre-wartime job with full seniority. Updated legisla¬
tion contains features not accounted for in WWII-vintage
legislation: coverage for activated reservists; eligibility of
servicemembefs family for employer health insurance; full
participation in pension programs (including :401 (k)" pro¬
grams).

Miscellaneous/technical improvements to education,
burial and housing programs.

Disappointments/Issues to Resolve in 1995

Appropriations -

• Medical Care appropriation increased less than 2%,
and overall VA budget was flat. Medical care improvements,
"eligibility reform"/simplification, and progress on adjudica¬
tion backlog cannot be financed with flat appropriations. Will
seek greater share of Federal resources.

Medical Care -

• Failure to enact local VAMC "pilot program" authority.
VAMCs must have greater autonomy to respond to local
conditions and State-enacted health care reforms. Major push
expected to authorize enhanced contracting and personnel
authority, and eligibility flexibility.

• Inability to make scientific progress on Persian Gulf ail¬
ments. More research will be authorized and funded.

Benefits Programs -

• Inability to identify ways to further re-engineer adjudi¬
cation process. Promises made by VBA and BVA to cut
backlog. Major oversight planned, pending report of Com¬
mission of further improvements.

Military Retirees -

• Retirees who suffer service-connected disabilities are
not fully eligible for VA compensation; VA compensation is
"offset" with retirement pay. Jeffords bill to allow "concur¬
rent recdpt" not approved due to projected costs. Cost analy¬
sis ordered in preparation for renewed 1995 effort.

Republicans "Contract with America"
Could potentially result in a 20%
cut in veterans programs

It appears that the Republicans ’’Contract with America”
could result in a 20% cut in veterans programs. Such a cut
would result in the closure of VA hospitals, the elimination of
some 44,000 VA personnel, including many health care pro¬
viders, and the number of outpatient visits would be reduced
by 5.4 million.

Rep. Bernard Sanders released a memo on January 7th
requesting veterans across Vermont, and across the nation, to
rally in opposition to this assault on the dignity and security of
America’s veterans.

In a letter addressed to The Honorable Newt Gingrich,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown, voiced his
objections to the possibility. He said, in part, "Veterans under¬
stand sacrifice and they have done their part. Making these
massive cuts is no way to thank them.”

Chairman Sonny Montgomery (D-MS) of the House Vet¬
erans Affairs Committee went on record on October 6, 1994
as saying that it would be unfair to ask veterans to take these
cuts. He pointed out that already veterans must wait long
periods for a decision on their benefit claims.

Write your Congressman today! Find out he would vote!
Veterans have made many sacrifices for their country, it is
unfair to ask them to make any more!

MILITARY ORDER OF
THE PURPLE HEART

CHARTERED BY CONGRESS

COLIN H. CARTER
CHIEF OF STAFF VERMONT
CMDR. GOULD/HOLTON #614

141 FAIRVIEWST.

BARRE, VT05641-4717
PHONE #802-476-5614

^ ^

KYM-JE

~ Retail Sales ~

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY

RFD 1, Box 1075. Kendall Hill Road
Brandon, Vermont 05733

J.M. ‘KYM- Hoerr

(802) 483-6533

Benefit Jamboree to be Held

WA #1 is in the process of organizing a benefit jambo¬
ree. Proceeds wifi go to the Dodge Development Center.

The Jamboree will be held at Broomsticks on Sunday,
March 26,1995 fi'om 1:00 PM till closing.

According to Bob Carvey, the Project Coordinator, there
should be 9 bands and an auction. Bob will have more de¬
tails for us in the next newsletter.

We will be needing volunteers for various jobs on the
day of the Jamboree, but there should still be time for a whirl
around the dance floor. So get out your boots and hats, and
get ready to two-step for a great cause!

Cares and Concerns

Condolences are extended to Maxine Clark on the pass¬
ing of her husband, Stanley. Stan was a long time member
ofVVA#l and will be greatly missed.

iilMliW ^©(y)^

Corporate

Alternatives

• Helping America

Redistribute the wealth back to
the people.

• Helping people

Compete with the corporate giants.

• Helping people

Earn while they learn.

R. Jake Jacobsen
RR #1 - Box 1480
W. Rutland, VT 05777

802 - 438-5188

POW/MIA FAMILY NEEPS US!!

Bruce E. Kane, USMC, originally from Deer Park, New
York was a door gunner on a helicopter w^hose mission was
to lead and protect a flight of transport helicopters to extract
a reconnaissance team form a hostile area. Heavy enemy
fire disabled their craft and an emergency landing in a river
was necessitated. Bruce successfully exited the aircraft, w^as
seen on shore, and enter the water to retrieve other survi¬
vors. Bruce was separated from the surviving aircraft com¬
mander and crew chief These two survivors were rescued,
but an air search covering about 300 meters downstream and
lasting some fifteen minutes failed to locate Bruce. This re¬
sulted in his being listed MIA. Thirty-three days later, without
a ground search of the crash site, with no one seeing his body,
or any reports to validate their position, the government de¬
clared Bruce Kane killed in action, body not recovered (KIA/
BNR)

Bruce's family's period of pain and grief gave way to the
accommodation common in such tragedy and went on with
life until December 1, 1992, when they were notified by the
Department of the Navy that Bruce's country of casualty'
was being changed to Laos. Turmoil again! On October 24,
1994, the Dunhams were again contacted by the Department
of the Navy: "The name of your son. Corporal Bruce E. Kane,
appears on the Laos list in the Last Known Alive category.;.
Cases in this category are those in which our government has
information indicating that the individual survived the loss in¬

cident and fell into enemy hands, in air incidents, individuals
are believed to have successfully exited their aircraft and to
have been alive on the ground. Twenty-five years after clas¬
sifying Bruce KIA, our government admits to the family that
he was known to be alive!!

These events in their lives have put the Dunhams through
emotional highs and lows incomprehensible to most, have led
them to self doubt and feelings of guilt, and left them relying
on an unsympathetic and uncooperative government to reach
resolution in this very difficult case.

It is our hope that we can provide the moral support the
family deserves, direction and assistance in their effort to find
out exactly what happened to Bruce and his circumstance
today, and to make their story available to every possible cred¬
ible media source. We don't know how many families share
this misfortune, but would like to access others, if they exist.

May I ask your assistance in any possible capacity in this
matter? Our ability to be there for a Brother's family is what
we are all about. Please contact us immediateh^ if you have
similar information, additional information on Bruce E. Kane,
or can introduce us to a source that will responsible dissemi¬
nate the information on this case. Just as importantly, please
write to. Mr. & Mrs. Bob Dunham, RR2 Box 5536, Jay, Maine
04239. The family feels very much alone, and our support is
very important.

Thank You!
Don

Donald Amorosi

VIETNffM VETER^INS OF fIMERICfl,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP RPPUCRTION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 annual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to:
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card imtil you receive one from National.

Name:_

Address:_

City:_State:_Zip:_

Home Phone:_

_^Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One-1995

This is to certify that

John Doe _

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7

Sgt. Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman
Temporary Membership Card

Membership Renewal Campaign

With the 1995 Membership Renewal Campaign well un¬
der way, the following Chapter #1 members have submitted
dues; Steve Faye, Stan Clark, William Longtin, Ed Hooke,
Paul Albro, Albert Trombly, Dennis Ross, Jack Hyde, Dick
Doyle, Dan Mack, Stuart Selikowitz, Paul Dutton, and Bill &
Beth Higgins.

Also, Colin Carter sent in his Life Membership! Thank
you all for showing your support for your Chapter!

For those of you who haven't submitted your dues, there
is still time to get them in. Mail your renewal forms and dues
directly to the Chapter. This enables us to keep better records
and keep you better informed. Temporary membership cards
are done and should be mailed to each member as Aey re¬
new, or join for the first time.

Let's Hear From...

We'll be starting a membership oriented column in our news¬
letter called "Let's Hear From...". Each month we will select
3 or 4 members we would like to hear from. Any response
(except profanity) would be welcome, such as "I'm alive and
well here in Oshkosh and I though you forgot about me years
ago", "I belong to 5 Vets organizations but WA's my favor¬
ite". You get the picture. Keep it low key and don't feel pres¬
sured, BUT we would like to hear how you're doing. Re¬
sponses will be summarized in upcoming newsletters.

Let's start with Randall Dockstader, George Wisell, and
Robert Slabey. Make us proud, guys!

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

February Meeting to be Held
at Seward's Family Restaurant

February's meeting will be held on
February 4th, 1995 at Seward's Family
Restaurant, on North Main Street in
Rutland. The Board of Directors will meet
at 5:00 PM and the General Membership
Meeting will follow at 6:00 PM.

Support Vour Newsletter!

Chapter #1 now is selling space in our newsletter for adver¬
tising. By doing this, we will raise money for the newsletter
committee to use for publishing and mailing the monthly news¬
letter. Also, we will promote the businesses or causes of our
local business owners, veterans and non-veterans alike.

Space will be available at the following rates: Business Card
Size - $5.00 per month, 1/4 page - $10.00 per month, 1/2 page
- $20.00 per month. Full page - $40.00 per month.

Mail your ads each month to either: Beth Higgins, RD #1,
Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735 or John Bergeron, 20 Center
St., Rutland, VT 05701.

Deadline for advertising will be the 15th of each month.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #J will assist Vietnam Era
Veterans, their families and others in the enhancement of their life
experience through intervention and social interaction. ”

Vietnam Veterans of fimerica
Chapter One

February, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 2

From the Desk of John
Bereeron. Vice

The definition of ’’change" according to Webster is to be
or cause to become different.

This past November, there was a major shift of power in
Washington and regardless of how you voted there is going to
be some definite changes in various policies.

You and I are going to be affected by what occurs in this
104th Congress, so I strongly urge all of you to stay informed
as to the events that take place in DC. You may do this by
reading "The Veteran", other publications, or watching the
news. We here at the newsletter will try to keep you updated.

Whatever source you may use to gather information, it is
imperative that you digest what you read or hear, and then act
on it. Don’t hesitate to call or write your Congress Person.

Summary of the February Meeting

As luck would have it the one big snowstorm of this win¬
ter had to happen on the same night of our meeting. But, like
the hearty Vermonters that we are...we cancelled and re¬
scheduled for the following week. I tried calling everyone
who normally attends the meetings. Sorry if I missed you!

The meeting was well attended and proved productive.
Phil Savery became a member of VVA #1, second time
around. Welcome aboard Phil.

Highhghts

•A Loyalty Day Parade Committee was formed and will
be chaired by none other than Bill Higgins. We thought that
this year we should do something a little special since it is
VVA #Ts 15th Anniversary. If any of you have ideas or
would like to volunteer, please contact Bill Higgins - 468-5652.

• A By-Law Review Committee was formed. This com¬
mittee win be chaired by Kym Hoerr. We feel that the chap¬
ter by-laws need to be reviewed and updated. We have plans
in the future to send copies to all members.

• A special project was submitted to the board and was
given approval. A photo display of area veterans will be shown
in various windows in downtown Rutland during the Memo¬
rial Day wee. If you have any photos or even memorabilia
that we may use, contact John - days 747-4060, eve. 775-
7577.

•The contest to change the Color Guard uniform was dis¬
cussed. Not many ideas have come in yet. Get your ideas in
because parade season starts soon. Prize for the winning
design, although we don’t yet know what it will be.

• Note that our next meeting will be held in the conference
room of The Opera House on March 4th. Board of Directors
meets at 5 pm and general membership at 6 p.m. Hope to
see you there!

John

From the Newsletter Committee

The Newsletter Committee would like it to be known that
this newsletter is published monthly as a means of circulating
information pertaining to veteran’s issues. Information pre¬
sented here is for you, the individual, to act upon however you
see fit. Write your Congress Person, call the White House,
do whatever you feel is appropriate.

However, the Newsletter Committee is in no way endors¬
ing the information put forth, either in articles or ads. VVA #
1, and WA National are nonpolitical, we do not endorse any¬
one. Individual members may do as they wish, providing they
do not pretend to represent VVA #1.

If you do not like the information presented in the newslet¬
ter, you have every opportunity for rebuttal. Write us a letter,
or send us the information. We will print your opinion. Do
Not however, call any member of the staflF with your com¬
plaints. Also, Do Not let your personal opinions prevent you
fi-om taking the information in the context that it is presented.

Elections to be held at
Annual Meeting in April

Our annual meeting will be held in April. We will be hold¬
ing elections for the following positions;

Chapter President, Chapter Vice-President
Chapter Treasurer, Chapter Secretary
Chapter Board of Directors (4)

Term of Office;

All positions are for one year, beginning at the close of the
annual meeting and running until the end of the 1996 annual
meeting.

Eligib ility:

Candidates for any or all positions open for election MUST
be individual members of VVA #1 in good standing.

Letter of Intent

If you are a prospective candidate, please submit a letter
of Intent to VVA #1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05701.

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of WA # 1 or WA National.

Chemical-Exposed Veterans to
March on Congress

Honor the Vet Pro0rani

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes

Vietnam veterans will stage a March on Congress June
1 St to hand-deliver results of a questionnaire currently being
distributed to veterans possible suffering from illnesses re¬
lated to expKjsure to Agent Orange or other chemicals used
in the Metnam War.

Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt (USN-ret.), who ordered the
spraying of Agent Orange in the former South Metnam and
one of whose sons is believed to have died from cancer
caused by the herbicide, will speak, as will Environmental
Protection Agency officials, at a 10 a m. rally.

The questionnaire-which lists 50 chemicals to which
troops may have been exposed in \^etnam—was drafted by
Thomas R. Joyce, of Waitsfield, VT, who served 1965-66
with the 101 st Airborne Division.

"They've spent $400 million in research. They just keep
dragging on and dragging on," Joyce said "I know men who
have committed suicide."

The questionnaire includes a release form "so I can take
this questionnaire to any and all media," he noted.

To obtain a questionnaire, write to Thomas R. Joyce,
PO Box 1264, Waitsfield, VT 05673; or contact John at
747-4060.

We Honor Our Vets

BROWNSVILLE GIRL
SHOE REPAIR

John Bergeron

Owner

20 Center Street
Rutland, VT 05701

(802) 747-4060

Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30
Sat. 8:00-Noon

Each month Chapter One will welcome any new partici¬
pants in the Honor The Vet Program in the newsletter. This
will acknowledge and thank the business people who are
participating, as well as keep you up to date on who is of¬
fering what for a discount. The current participants are listed
below with their addresses, phone numbers and discounts.

BUSINESS

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus
Rt. 7 North, Rut., 773-7322

2. Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair
Center St., Rut, 747-4060

3. Clem's Kitchen
Wales St, Rut, 775-6104

4. Jake's Light Tmcking
West Rut, 438-5188

5. Adirondack Tire Merchants
Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

6. Pappy's Restaurant
Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

7. Army Navy Store
Center St., Rut., 773-8839

8. Ron's Simoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

9. Sal's Restaurant
West St, Rut, 775-3360

10. Howard's Sunoco

S. Main St, Rut, 775-7911

11. Boss Threads
Proctor, 459-3393

12. Michael's Handmade Wooden
Center St., Rut, 773-1488

13. Buxton's Sunoco

N. Main St, Rut., 773-9747

14. Bob's Hunting & Fishing
Chittenden, 773-9507

15. Kym-Je Jewelers
Brandon, 483-6533

DISCOUNT

10 %

10 %
10 %
10 - 20 %
10 - 20 %
10%+FREE coffee/dessert
10 %
5%
10 %
10 %
10 - 20 %

Toys 10-20%

5% off labor & parts
2 %
10 %

16. C & S Consulting Group 20%

Rt. 4A, Bomoseen, 468-5882

17. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A. 20%

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

18. Two By Two ]o%

Pittsford, 483-6121

Thanks to all these establishments for believing in the vet¬
eran! Show your membership card from any veteran's or¬
ganization (or other proof of service) to obtain your dis¬
count at any of these places!

Do you know of a business who might like to participate
in The Honor The Vet Program? This program sets a prece¬
dent in the state, & to be strong, it needs businesses. Con¬
tact John Bergeron at 747-4060 to have a rep. visit the
business & explain the program.

Expanding Our Mission

Over the years I have been amazed at the intensity of
people who are motivated toward a certain cause or issue.
Since returning from Vietnam, one of my biggest loads of life
has been the MIA/POW issue. I resented returning home
without my comrades. Many adm inistrations have come &
gone & we continue to hear the same stories & reasons for
inactivity in resolving the issue. The bottom line. People, is
that the full truth can not come out. Why? The people
involved throughout these many years, both past & present
would wind iqj with zero reputations. Historically, this touches
on one of two enemies that exist ~ ego! I This issue goes to
the heart of this enemy. They will stop at nothing to pre¬
serve their egos. This issue also touches on the second en¬
emy - greed!! The cover-ups & lies will continue to pro¬
tect the guilty & the web that they have woven. What does
this mean & what am I saying?

For many years now we have expelled tremendous en¬
ergy on this issue through awareness-type programs, dem¬
onstrations, vigils, seminars, etc. We have written letters,
publications, etc. to bring the truth out in the open. For the
most part we have been "preaching to the choir." Look
around at our activities - who is there? Mostly it's people
who feel & know this issue & somehow they are connected
to the military experience. To the average American, we
ire talking about issues that are almost 30 years old; but
have not brought this issue into the homes & daily activities
of America. How do we do that for 1995? Let’s look.

First of all we need to look at what this issue involves. It
is one of a few issues that goes to the core of the philosophy
of America & why there is internal decay. The MIA/POW
issue encapsulates the two issues of accountability a& ex-
pendability. The employer (U.S. Gov’t.) was not account¬
able for it employees (Military Personnel ) within this giant
corporation (Armed Forces Division). Because of ego &
greed the employer deemed the employees expendable.
Does this sound familiar now - 1995? Do corporations
continue to operate under the same philosophy? Have you
ever heard of people dedicating 15-20 years of their life to a
company & the company ’’pulls the rug out from under them"?
They are all done - gone - expendable!! This has become
almost standard operating procedures. It’s not 20-30 years
old but happening — NOW!!

When we start to incorporate the "now stuff’ into our
course of action, we in fact, expand our mission by identify¬
ing the "real enemies in America". This is not only isolated
to the military', much in the same way, the mission ofPTSD
was expanded into our communities.

Where are these arenas of now stuff? Oil companies -
chemical companies - dmg companies. Is our car mileage
being tampered with - could we get 100 miles a gallon of
gas? Are products being made that are harmful to society
but throu^ advertising sound great? Is toxic dumping hap¬

pening? Seems like lack of accountability & the fact we are
expendable continues business as usual.

I ran across an interesting article in the Rutland Herald
(Sunday, 1/22/95) labeled Home Eco-Nomics: The EPA
found that pollution in doors is worse than outside & many
estimates are 2-5 times greater. Most of this is due to the
irritants in the products we use everyday including cleaning
products for our homes & our bodies. The skin is still the
biggest organ of the body. Things that also affect our water
make our showers a dangerous experience. Now, if we
take into consideration that many chemical companies spend
8% on research & development & about 75% on advertis¬
ing - what do we have? Add in only $25,000 fines are lev¬
ied against toxic dumpers (They make millions a day). Here
we are folks - ego & greed - & accountability & expend-
ability. Is this a caring attitude? Do we collectively support
these companies? Do we talk about MIA/POW & then
support companies that are only involved with Vietnam to
"grab the pearl" & make millions? Maybe if we affect cor¬
porate profits on the home front changes will be considered.
Maybe? Food for thought...

Submitted by R. Jake Jacobsen

If everything is going according to plan,
you're probably walking into an ambush

- Unknown -

Golden Prid^/^awleigh

Distributor

Juanita "Kym” Hoerr
802-483-6533

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 778-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 5480043

Membership Notes

WELCOME! WELCOME! WELCOME! We re¬
cently canvassed all 22 AT LARGE members of VVA in the
state and several have decided to transfer to VVA #1. The
following are being transferred: Dr. Stuart Selikowitz, White
River Jet.; James Moulton, Newport; Wilham Gamer, Windsor;
Victor Brunelle (Life Member), West Charleston; Greg Ballou
(Life Member), Londonderry; Douglas Yantz, Jr., Vergennes;
Thomas Manning, Putney; Robert Erickson (Life Member),
Wilhamstown, Howard Sewell, Morrisville; Robert Lubinsky,
Orwell. Please feel free to write the chapter and or attend a
meeting and express your ideas on veteran's issues. Again,
we appreciate your support!

Reminder: Please dust off your dues renewal notice and
submit it to the Chapter. There are several steps in the re¬
newal process and it takes time. We don't want any intermp-
tion in member services. YEAR ENDS SOON!

Renewals have come in from Paul Carroll, Mark Truhan
and Phil Savery. Mike DivoU received his Life Membership,
Congratulations! Also, Andrew Moschetto is another new
member! Thanks to all for your support of your Chapter.

Let's Hear From...

To continue with our monthly column, this month we'd like
to hear from Frank Wetherby (transfer from Brattleboro
Chapter), Jack Hyde, and Duane Cornwall. Feel free to share
any personal or vet related information/concems. Other mem¬
bers, feel free to jump in with comments any time.

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART
CHARTERED BY CONGRESS

COLIN H. CARTER 141 FAIRVIEW ST.

CHIEF OF STAFF VERMONT BARRE, VT 05641-4717

CMDR. GOULD/HOLTON #614 PHONE # 802-476-5614

f —.

KYM-JE

~ Retail Sales ~

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY

RFD 1, Box 1075, Kendall Hill Road
Brandon, Vermont 05733

"KYV Hoerr

(802) 483-6533

Artifacts Sought for WIMSA Memorial

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, Jan. 9-15, 1995

The Women In MiUtary Service For America Memorial
Foundation, Inc. (WIMSA), mounting a nationwide search
for artifacts to include in the memorial's permanent collec¬
tion, is asking women veterans to send artifacts distinctive of
their service branch and era to create the memorial’s exhibit
gallery.

The foundation is seeking uniforms, medals, insignias, pho¬
tographs, mihtaiy issue personal items, diaries, medical equip¬
ment and other items from both war and peacetime. Items
depicting the type of work women performed in the military
and prisoner-of-war experiences also are wanted.

TTie Women's Memorial, to be built at Arlington National
Cemetery, will present to the public the record of the achieve¬
ments of military women. Its Education Center will highlight
their contributions through an exhibit gallery.

The permanent collection, made up of donations from this
call for artifacts, will be drawn upon to create exhibits within
The Women’s Memorial.

For more information, contact Kathryn Sheldon, curator,
at 1-800-222-2294 or write to WIMSA, Dept. 560, Washing¬
ton, DC 20042-0560.

Kil^Wi©

Corporate

Alternatives

• Providing Individuals,
Businesses & Organizations

options normally exclusively for corporations.

Feature of the Month

Wholesale Club - 27-52% Off
1 - Home Delivery; 2 > Toll Free Ordering;

3 - Categories - Personal Care; Health & Nutrition;
Home Hygiene; Pharmaceutical; Tele-Communications,

4 -100% Customer Satisfaction or Money Refunded

5 - Entry into club, like the Rotary, through an enroller

Special of the Month

20% Discount to anyone becoming a club
member for February or March 1995.

R. Jake Jacobsen
RR #1 - Box 1480, W. Rutland, VT

802 - 438-5188

In Step with the Color Guard

Bill Higgins, Chairman of the WA Chapter One Color
Guard wants to remind everyone about the contest to help
design new uniforms for the Color Guard.

So, put on your thinking caps, get some paper and pens,
and put your ideas down on paper. You can describe your
idea in vivid detail, or sketch it out for us.

Send your entries to; Bill Higgins, Chairman WA # 1
Color Guard, RD #1, Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735. Get
your ideas in quick, the parade season starts soon!

Also, any previous Color Guard participants who still
have ascots, berets, or any other items provided by the
Chapter, please return them so others may use them. If
necessary. Bill will pick them up for you.

The first parade of the season is the Lxiyalty Day parade
in Rutland City sponsored by the VFW. Chapter # 1 is go¬
ing to enter a float this year to commemorate the 15th Anni-
versaiy of the Chapter. A Committee has been formed and
they are looking for ideas, comments, volunteers to build
the float, ride on it, or march with the Color Guard. Please
let us know if you can help in any way. We want to make
the 15th Anniversary something to remember.

Bill Higgins, Color Guard Chairman

—

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 6335
Rutland, Vermont 05702
773-8407 800-286-8407

VIETNfIM VETERfINS OF RMERICfi,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP RPPLiCRTION

Name:_

Address;_

City;_State:_Zip:_

Home Phone;_

V ietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One -1995

I This is to certify that i

I John Doe _ I

I is a member in good standing of the •

I Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7 I
Sgt. Pepper I

• Membership Committee Chairman '

^ Temporary Membership Card J

Calender of Upcomine Events

As VVA #1 begins to look toward the busy summer
months, we will begin running a Calender of Events in each
edition. This calender will include meeting dates, parades,
special events, as well as events that pertain to other veteran
organizations. If you know of an upcoming event that you
think other members might be interested in, send it in to us.
Mail to VVA #1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• March meeting - March 4, 6 p.m., to be held at the Opera
House in Rutland.

• VVA #1 Sponsored Jamboree to benefit the Dodge Devel¬
opment Center. Broomsticks, Rutland -12 noon till ?.

• April meeting - Date and time to be announced in the next
newsletter.

• May meeting - Saturday, May 6th - meeting place to be
announced.

• Loyalty Day Parade - Sunday, May 7th, 2:00 p.m. - Volun¬
teers for Color Guard and Float Committee are needed. Con¬
tact Bill Higgins - 468-5652.

Benefit Jamboree to be Held

Don't forget the Jamboree to be held on Sunday, March
26th at Broomsticks to benefit the Dodge Development Cen¬
ter. Volunteers will be needed, let’s make this event one that
VVA # 1 can be proud of! For more information or to volun¬
teer your time, contact John at 747-4060 (775-7577 eve.) or
BiU at 468-5652.

March Meeting to be Held
in Opera House Conference Room

March's meeting will be held on
March 4th, 1995 in the conference room of
The Opera House, on Evelyn Street in
Rutland The Board of Directors will meet
at 5:00 PM and the General Membership
Meeting will follow at 6:00 PM.

Support Your Newsletter!

Chapter #1 now is selling space in our newsletter for ad¬
vertising. By doing this, we will raise money for the newslet¬
ter committee to use for publishing and mailing the monthly
newsletter. Also, we will promote the businesses or causes of
our local business owners, veterans and non-veterans alike.

Space will be available at the following rates: Business
Card Size - $5.00 per month, 1/4 page - $10.00 per month, 1/
2 page - $20.00 per month. Full page - $40.00 per month.

Mail your ads each month to either: Beth Higgins, RD #1,
Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735 or John Bergeron, 20 Center
St., Rutland, VT 05701.

Deadline for advertising will be the 15th of each month.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #1 will assist Vietnam Era
Veterans, their families and others in the enhancement of their life
experience through intervention and social interaction."

Vietnam Veterans of fimerica
Chapter One

March, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 3

From the Desk of John
Bereeron.Ulce President

April Fools' Day — What a time to hold an election, but
that's what is going to occur at the next meeting. WA # 1 is
still taking your letters of intent for the following offices:
President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and the Board
of Directors positions. We will be accepting nominations right
up to meeting time.

Summar>' of the March Meeting

The meeting was held at the Conference Room of tlie
Opera House. It was well attended and we were blessed
with the presence of some old familiar faces; Paul Butler and
Bill Fitzpatrick from the Great White North, Bill Whitney from
Chester. Paul and Bill brought us up to date with Vermont
TTiunder 3, which will be held this Memorial Day. For more
information, see the article inside the newsletter.

Don Amorosi handed out an information sheet regarding
poker runs. A discussion was held and Bill Fitzpatrick agreed
to talk to Freedom of the Road Snake Mountain Chapter to
see if they would be willing to help out.

Also present was Bob Carvey, Coordinator of the Benefit
Jamboree. He presented the Board of Directors with an out¬
line of the days events and a list of bands scheduled to per¬
form.

Mike Divoll made a proposal that WA #1 investigate the
possibility of doing a Farmers Market/Craft Fair in the Center
Street Alley as a fund raiser. Lief Dahlin, head of the Parks
& Recreation Dept, has agreed to attend the April meeting
and will discuss this further with us and answer any questions
we might have. Also lets remember for future reference that
Mr. Dahlin will be the same person that we will have to deal
with when it comes time to find a home for "our memorial".

So let's have a good turnout at our April meeting so that
Mr. Dahlin can see that WA #1 is a strong organization.
That way he will be more apt to work with us in the future. In
other words - "Let’s Suck Up"!

It has recently been brought to my attention that Manches¬
ter, VT is in the process of building a park in the center of
town. It will be located where the old Ford dealership was
doing business.

According to this individual, at one of the organizational
meetings they were discussing what to name this park. One
suggestion was to name it after James Edward Dooley, one
of the five Vermonters listed as POW/MIA. But this idea

was shot down and swept under the rug. So I called Jim
Howley and informed him of this endeavor in Manchester.
Maybe the Northeast POW/MIA Network can get involved
& push for using James Dooley's name.

The requests for our Color Guard are beginning to arrive.
We need more members to participate in the upcoming events.
If you are interested, please let us know . I suggested forming
a WA #1 Drill Team but for some odd reason, my proposal
was met with resounding laughter! What do the rest of you
kind hearted folks think?

I have talked to the fine folks at Clem's Kitchen Restau¬
rant on Wales Street. They said they would open their estab¬
lishment to us on Saturday, May 6th so that we may hold our
meeting there. More on that next time.

Next meeting will be held on April Fools' Day at Sewards
Family Restaurant. For those of you who would like to par¬
ticipate, dinner and chitchat will be at 1700 Hrs., meeting to
follow at 1800 Hrs. Hope to see everyone there.

John

Calender of Upcomine Events

As WA #1 begins to look toward the busy summer
months, we will begin running a Calender of Events in each
edition. This calender will include meeting dates, parades,
special events, as well as events that pertain to other veteran
organizations. If you know of an upcommg event that you
think other members might be interested in, send it in to us.
Mail to WA #1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• Sunday, March 26th - WA #1 Sponsored Jamboree to
benefit the Dodge Development Center. Broomsticks, Rut¬
land - 12 noon till ?.

• Saturday; April 1st - April meeting at the Seward's Family
Restaurant on North Main in Rutland 5 to 6 pm - dinner hour.
Meeting to follow with elections held for all offices of WA# 1.

• Saturday, May 6th - May meeting to be held at Clem's
Kitchen, Rutland.

• Sunday, May 7th - Loyalty Day Parade, 2:00 p.m. - Volun¬
teers for Color Guard and Float Committee are needed. Con¬
tact Bill Higgins - 468-5652

• Sunday, May 28th - Vermont Thunder III - Third annual
Memorial Day ride, 1-89 North from the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial to Swanton.

• Monday, May 29th - Memorial Day.

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of WA # 1 or WA National.

Vermont Thunder III Schedule Announced

Vermont Thunder III will be held on May 28, 1995. For
the third year in a row, area motorcyclists will ride the Viet¬
nam Veterans Memorial Highway to pay tribute to our fallen
brothers and our POW/MIAs. TTie run is approximately 120
miles long, and everyone is welcome.

Tentative Schedule

1000-1100 Arrive Vietnam Veterans Memorial on 1-89
Northbound (north of exit 1).

1100 Wreath laying ceremony.

1200 Leave rest area.

1330 Stop in Richmond for gas.

1400 Leave Richmond.

1500 Arrive in Swanton.

This year, instead of T-shirts, Vermont Thunder patches
and rockers are being sold. These are black/white on a red
background. Patches are $7.50 and rockers (1993, 94, 95)
are $2.50 each, and they are available from Vermont Thun¬
der, do Mike Pendriss, 74 Meadow Road, Milton, VT 05468,
(802)893-1191.

America's Living War Ueterans

From a recent issue of the DVA National Cemetery Sys¬
tem newsletter:

Vietnam-era veterans have become the largest population
of living vets. As of May 1994, there are 25,000 living vets
from WWI, 8.15 million from WWII, 4.7 million from the
Korean War, 8.28 million from the Vietnam Era, and just over
1 million from the Persian Gulf War.

We Honor Our Vets

BROWNSVILLE GIRL
SHOE REPAIR

John Bergeron

Owner

20 Center Street
Rutland, VT 05701

(802) 747-4060

Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30
Sat. 8:00-Noon

Honor the Vet Program

Each month Chapter One will welcome any new partici¬
pants in the Honor The Vet Program in the newsletter. T1
will acknowledge and thank the business people who are
participating, as well as keep you up to date on who is of¬
fering what for a discount. The current participants are listed
below with their addresses, phone numbers and discounts.

BUSINESS

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus
Rt. 7North, Rut., 773-7322

2. Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair
Center St., Rut., 747-4060

3. Clem's Kitchen
Wales St., Rut, 775-6104

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants
Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

5. Pappy's Restaurant
Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

6. Army Navy Store
Center St., Rut., 773-8839

7. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8. Sal's Restaurant
West St., Rut, 775-3360

9. Howard's Sunoco
S.Main St, Rut, 775-7911

10. Boss Threads
Proctor, 459-3393

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys
Center St., Rut., 773-1488

12. Buxton's Sunoco
N. Main St., Rut., 773-9747

13. Bob's Hunting & Fishing
Chittenden, 773-9507

14. Kym-Je Jewelers
Brandon, 483-6533

15. C & S Consulting Group
Rt. 4A, Bomoseen, 468-5882

16. GregBarsanti, C.P.A.

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

17. Two By Two
Pittsford, 483-6121

DISCOUNT

10 %

10 %
10 %
10 - 20 %
10%+FREE cofifee/dessert
10 %

10 %

10 °"

10 - 20 %

5% off labor & parts

2 %

10 %

20 %

10 %

Do you know of a business who might like to participate
in The Honor The Vet Program? This program sets a prece
dent in the state, & to be strong, it needs businesses. Con-~
tact John Bergeron at 747-4060 to have a rep. visit the
business & explain the program.

Membership Notes

WELCOME! More recent transfers from the At-Large
ranks: John Gilligan, Barre; Bob Schaffer, Hardwick; Rob¬
ert Posch, West Rutland, and Jack Reed, Danby, who origi¬
nally joined Chapter One but was listed as At-Large by
National!

FACT: WA#1 members come from 36 Vermont com¬
munities and 6 states!

Let's Hear From...

To continue with our monthly column, this month we'll
choose former at-large members Dr. Stuart Selikowitz, Greg
Ballou, and Douglas Yantz. Let's hear your opinions on any
issue you feel is important.

This month we present our first responses to Let's Hear
From... The first is from George Wisell, a Life Member
from Colchester, VT. The second comes from recent trans¬
fer from Brattleboro, Frank Wetherby. Thanks for your
responses, guys! Now, how about the rest of you?

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

Dear Dick and Chapter One:

Thought that I would answer your request to hear from
me. My Vietnam service was as a helicopter gunship pilot in
1968-69. Like a lot of us, I did my duty because I thought
that I owed it to the country that had given me so much. Ive
never regretted that year in my life, nor have I regretted the
few emotional ups and downs that I've had to deal with
because of it. I feel that I am a much stronger and better
person because of it.

I hold life memberships in the American Legion, VFW,
and WA. I'm also a member of Forty and Eight, Rotary,
the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association and the Falcons
(an alumni group of my unit in 'Nam, the 335th Assault He¬
licopter Co.).

Just a thought on Chapter #1. If you want more partici¬
pation at your monthly meetings, you need to get the news¬
letter out sooner so that we can plan our calendars. The
January newsletter advertising the Febmary 4th meeting was
postmarked on February 2nd! Also, you might want to
meet sometimes outside ofRutland County as its a long drive
form up here in Colchester.

Any reason that Chapter #1 never seems to be men¬
tioned in the National Magazine?

Sincerely,
George Wisell, Jr.

Ed. Note: Thanks for your candid heartfelt letter. We know
you better now. We are working on some of the construc¬
tive comments you made. P S. Chopper pilots are Numba
One!

Dear Dick and Chapter One;

Like I said in our conversation, I do read the WA news¬
letter and would like to have a few comments included in

your next newsletter concerning veteran issues.

Attended a meeting at the Western Massachusetts Shel¬
ter for Homeless Veterans in Northampton, MA. Jesse
Brown, Secretary for Veterans Affairs, was guest speaker
As a former Marine and wounded veteran. Secretary Brown
received several standing ovations with words like "they're
not going to balance the federal budget on the back of our
veterans", "VA is not a sacred cow, but it is sacred. It's a
sacred promise that this country has made to our veterans";
and he went on to elaborate about the Safare letter propos¬
ing to eliminate the VA in its entirety.

There are proposals in the congressional budget office
right now that suggests taxing VA disability and death com¬
pensation, terminating compensation to all service-connected
veterans whose disabilities are rated less than 20 percent
disabling, eliminating dependency allowance for service-con¬
nected veterans whose disabilities are rated at less than 50
percent, restrict the payment of compensation by redefining
the term "service-coimection", and conducting means test¬
ing, e g., reduce or eliminate compensation for veterans
whose family income from all sources exceeds a certain level.

What is scary is the fact that 76% of the house is com¬
prised of non-veterans. What's even worse is the recent
statistic I learned during my attendance at the National Vet¬
erans Training Institute in Denver, CO, is that of the 27 mil¬
lions veterans in this country, only 3 5% are registered to vote
and less than that actually do. It is time that the veterans of
this country start sending some messages to the 104th Con¬
gress. Writing your respective congressional representative
is encouraged. The letter you write is given a weighted value
of200 constituents.

On a more positive note, John Simons, executive direc¬
tor, Western Massachusetts Shelter for Homeless Veterans,
and his staff are doing an outstanding job working with vet¬
erans. He is also the coordinator for the Western Massa¬
chusetts Standdown 95 to be conducted on Westover AFB
on Sept. 30/Oct. 1. So if there are any veterans who need a
place to "chill out", regroup, and move forward, the shelter
at Northampton MA is the place to do it.

Sincerely yours,
Frank Wetherby
1SG (Retired)., US Army

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
AURMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548-0043

US Activist Claims Firm
Evidence of Live POWs

By Robert Birsel, Reuter News Service
Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, 6-12 March

Bangkok, Thailand - A former US congressman said February
21st he had solid new evidence that American servicemen remain
alive in captivity in Vietnam 20 years after the end of the Vietnam
war.

"Now we are absolutely certain that American prisoners are
held and we want to go and get them," said Bill Hendon, a former
Republican congressman from North Carolina.

Hendon told a new's conference he acquired the purported new
evidence of live prisoners last month but alleged that efforts to
follow it up had been blocked by Viemam's refusal to give him a and
his associates entry visas.

The Vietnamese and Laotian governments consistently deny
holding any US servicemen. Washington says there is no proof of
any American prisoners in Southeast Asia.

Hendon declined to say what the new evidence of live prison¬
ers was, saying to do so would jeopardize the search.

He also said he would not reve^ the evidence to US authorities.
He accused them of blocking efforts to find alleged American pris¬
oners in Vietnam and Laos.

"We can take US experts tomorrow, if we had visas (for Viet¬
nam), to the exact site where American prisoners are held right now,'*
Hendon said.

He also criticized the US Embassy^ in Bangkok, accusing it of

failing "to lift a finger" to help him get a Vietnamese visa.

In a February 20th letter to US Ambassador David Lambertson,
Hendon accused the US government of not trying to find missing
US servicemen.

He also accused US officials of repeatedly denying to infor
mants the existence of a $2.5 million reward w'hich private groups
the United States are willing to pay for the return of live Americans.

Hendon said the alleged denials discouraged informants from
coming forward or following up reported sightings of US service-
mea

Washington has never offered rewards for information or re¬
mains of servicemen, believing to do so would trigger a flood of
hoax claims.

"I must regrettably conclude that sharing the information I now
possess with US authorities will not yield any honest attempt to
liberate the American prisoners currently held in Vietnam," Hendon
said in his letter, copies of which he gave to reporters.

"The only prudent course of action is for me to physically
accompany...experts to the sites in Vietnam where the Americans
are currently being held. I insist on doing this," he said in the letter
to Lambertson.

A US embassy’ spokesman said there w as an office in the Bangkok
mission - the Joint Task Force for Full Accounting - which was
responsible for handling prisoner of war/missing in action (POW/
MIA) affairs.

"If he has information about POW issues he should provide
that information to that office. We have asked him to do that and he
has declined," the spokesman said.

There are still 2,211 US servicemen unaccounted for in South¬
east Asia, 1,621 of the cases in Vietnam and 505 in Laos, the spokes¬
man said.

MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART

CHARTERED BY CONGRESS

COLIN H. CARTER

141 FAIRVIEWST.

CHIEF OF STAFF VERMONT

BARRE, VT 05641-4717

CMDR. GOULD/HOLTON #614

PHONE # 802-476-5614

KYM-JE

~ Retail Sales ~

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY

RFD 1, Box 1075, Kendall Hill Road
Brandon, Vermont 05733

J.M. 'KYM' Hoerr

(802) 483-6533

Corporate

Alternatives

• Providing Individuais,
Businesses & Organizations

options normally exclusively for corporations.

Feature o£ the Month

Wholesale Club - 27-52% Off

1 - Home Delivery; 2 - Toll Free Ordering;

3 - Categories - Personal Care; Health & Nutrition;
Home Hygiene; Pharmaceutical; Tele-Communications.

4 -100% Customer Satisfaction or Money Refunded

5 - Entry into club, like the Rotary, through an enroller

Special of the Month

20% Discount to anyone becoming a club
member for February or March 1995.

R. Jake Jacobsen
RR #1 - Box 1480, W. Rutland, VT

802 - 438-5188

News From National

The latest Membership printout from National shows an upward
trend. The hst has 52 names, not including 10 which did not make it
in time for the February 16th printing.

National sent a guide on VA claims and appeals - suggestions
for veterans and their families seeking VA benefits. If you would
like a copy, please contact WA #1 and we will forward a copy to
you.

The WA National Convention will be held August 15-20,1995 at
the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston Texas. If you would like to
attend, please contact WA #1.

U.S. Publication Gives Overview of MIA Searches

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, 6-12 March

The book M l. A.-Accounting for the Missing in Southeast Asia,
from the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), is among a
number of newly available government publications available from
the Superintendent of Documents.

Written by a long-time member of the MIA search team, the 231
page publication offers a historical overview of how the search pro¬
cess was carried out for nearly two decades.

The pubhcation is stock number 008-020-01260-2; price is $9.50.
Orders must reference the pubhcations stock number and price. Price
includes shipping and handling. Orders may be faxed 24 hours a day
to 202-512-2250. For telephone orders (weekdays 8 am-4pm) call 202-
512-1800. Visa or Mastercard account numbers and expiration dates
must be provided.

Mail orders should be addressed to Superintendent of Docu¬
ments, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250 with a check or money
order payable to Superintendent of Documents. Orders also may be
placed tlnough US government bookstores.

VIETNfIN VETERANS OF AMERICA,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP APPUCATION

Membership in Vietaam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Viemam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 annual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to:
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name:.

Address:.
City:_

.State:_Zip:.

Home Phone:

.Vietnam Era
Associate

New

Renewal

New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One-1995

This is to certify that

John Doe

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter U1

Sgt. Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

Jamboree to Benefit Dodge
Development Center

Next Sunday, March 26th is the Benefit Jamboree being
sponsored by VVA # 1 for the Dodge Development Center.
Project Coordinator Bob Carvey says plans are coming to¬
gether nicely, and it should be a lot of fon for everyone.

Hosted hyBlue Train, other bands include: Haywire,
Midnight Justice, Hard Livin' Band, Restless, Country
Exposure, Back Room Band, Silverado, Country Revival,
& Lucky Diamond & White Lightening.

The Jamboree is being held at Broomsticks in Rutland.
Doors will open at noon, and the music b^ins at one. Come
early, stay late. Along with the music and dancing, there will
be raffles and door prizes.

Volunteers are needed to help work the door If you can
spare an hour or two, contact John at 747-4060 days, 775-
7577 evenings.

Cares and Concerns

Sympathy is extended to Mike Divoll, whose father re¬
cently passed away.

Joel William's father has been hospitalized in Burlington,
but we understand he is doing better.

A Belated Happy Birthday to Kym Hoerr!

April Meeting to be Held at
Seward's Family Restaurant

April's meeting will be held on April 1st,
1995 in the conference room of Seward's
Family Restaurant on North Main Street in
Rutland. A dinner hour will be held from 5-
6 pm for socializing (remember that the
deal at Seward's is to eat or pay for the
room!). The yearly elections and meeting
will follow at approximately 6 pm.

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Understanding the Value of People

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call: 775-2525
Member FDIC

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

(§prtn

cj td

arou

e eornerl

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #7 will assist Vietnam Era
Veterans, their families and others in the enhancement of their life
experience through intervention and social interaction."

Veterans of
Chapter One

fimerica

April, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 4

On April 13, 1980, Robert Muller from Vietnam Veterans of America National came to Rutland. His reason for coming to
Rutland was to present the first National Charter to the first Chapter to form in the country. Yes, folks, that Chapter was
formed right here in little old Rutland, Vermont.

To help commemorate our 15th Anniversary, we have asked some of the original founders if they would tell us about their
involvement with Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 1 in its infancy.

Their stories can be found throughout this edition of the newsletter, in which we salute WA #1.

Who We fire

by Tampa Big Mac

We’re the kid down the block, or the boy next door.

The sons of liberty, heading for war.

Though some men enlisted and others were drafted.

We soon came to find out we all had been shafted.

Most of us hated to leave home and fight.

But we did what we felt, was out duty and right.

We all didn’t make it to South Vietnam,

But at least we were ready ’cause we gave a damn.

While draft dodgers headed for north of the border.

We all kept on fighting for fi-eedom and order.

We saw lots of conflict and bloodshed and tears.

And we carry it with us, on down through the years.

Some bro’s weren’t so lucky, they paid a high cost.

They were captured or killed or missing or lost.

When we were finished fighting, and returned to this great land.
We were looked upon as misfits, and felt we'd all been damned.
You ask, just who we are right now, and what have we become?
We are a force of many men and women, who think and act as one!

From the Desk of
John Bergeron. President

What do you get when you take the Vice out of Vice-
President? Well, in this case you still end up with yours truly.
Yes, you still have me to contend with for the next year, for I
was elected your President in the last elections. But you may
put your mind at ease because along with yours truly, I have a
great group of individuals who were elected to the following
positions:

Vice-President; Steve Faye
Secretary: Kym Hoerr
Treasurer: John PinteUo

Board of Directors: Frank Bump, Bill Higgins, Joe Lynch,
Dick Doyle and Associate Liaison Beth Higgins

I would like to thank Mike Divoll and Jack Reed for their
help this past year, and Clark Howland for his many years of
service. I hope you all continue to take an active role in WA
# 1 .

In my estimation, we now have in place a group of folks
who are going to carr\' WA #1 to new heights. In fact, this
phenomenon has already begun to reap some benefits. For
example, for the first time in WA # 1 ’s history, we have gone
over the 70 member figure.

On April 11th I met with Lief Dahlin, head of Parks and
Recreation to further discuss the feasibility of WA #1 usmg
the Center St. Alley as a fund raiser in the form of a Craft &
Flea Market.

Oh! Here is one for you skeptics out there. Remember
my idea of forming a Drill Team and how you all hurt my
feelings when you laughed at the idea. The other day I re¬
ceived a phone call from Joel Williams with a vote of confi¬
dence. Not only has he agreed to become the first member,
he has an individual who will be willing to become our per¬
sonal drill team instructor. Ben Turner of Poultney said that
he would be willing to take on this formidable task. Ben spent
10 years in the Marine Corps and is presently the head N .C .O
at the NCO instructors school up north.

I spent four years in the Air Force and I think that 1
marched a total of a dozen times and that was in the first six
months. So needless to say I wouldn't know my Gig Line
from a fishing line. So I challenge all of you who were in"those
other branches of the military" to join us and show an old "Sky
Jock" up. Please call me at 747-4060 and join. This is open
to anyone, even those who don't know their right fi-om their
left!!'

Nurse Nancy Faller came into my store the other day and
we had a brief chat. She has just returned from Denmark
and is home for awhile concentrating on her degree program.
She has contacted Bobby Muller in California to let him know
that she would be interested in working in one of his clinics in
Vietnam. Nancy was told that they send over teams of ten
for approximately two week tours at a time and that her spe¬
cialty is in big demand. So it looks as if one of our favorite
nurses will be returning to 'Nam where she served many years
ago and under different circumstances. We wish her the
best.

Also Nancy told me that the nursing profession in Viet¬

nam has deteriorated tremendously since the end of the war
Presently there are no nursing texts written in Vietnamese.
Nancy has a contact in France and may be able to obtain
textbooks wTitten in French. To send a person to nursing
school in Vietnam costs about $6 a month. Of course, f
proverbial light bulb went off in her head and she thought;
why not get some of the nufses at RRMC to sponsor a stu¬
dent over there. I asked Nancy to keep us updated.

The May meeting is at 5:00 p.m. on May 6th at Clem's
Kitchen on Wales St. in Rutland. June meeting will be held at
the Sculpting Studio on Marble Street in West Rutland.

John

Veteran's Conference
to be held May tSth

On May 13, 1995, there will be a conference on the con¬
cerns of veterans in Vermont and the impact on the veteran
population stemming from the so called 'Contract with America'.

This conference is being held in conjunction with Repre¬
sentative Bemie Sanders, who feels very strongly that no cuts
should be made at the expense of our veterans, senior citizens
or our children.

The conference will be held at the South Burlington High
School and the guest speaker for the conference will be Jesse
Brown, Secretaiy of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC.

It is important for all veterans to attend this conference, no
matter if your status is past or present, retired, active or di*'
abled. You, the 73,000 veterans of Vermont, should be ve.,
concerned about the cuts that are pending before Congress
They will affect all of us and our families. We can't allow this
to happen: we all have answered our nation's call without reser¬
vation and were proud to have served.

The conference will start with registration from 09:00 to
10:00 on Saturday morning the 13th and will proceed with speak¬
ers fi'om the various organizations for two minutes ONLY, fol¬
lowed by Jesse Brown. Unfortunately Jesse has to catch a
plane at 14:00, but the conference will go on with various work¬
shops throughout the school. The workshops will range from
VA care to CHAMPUS, TRICARE, Gulf War Veterans, Home¬
less Vets, veteran's benefits, COLA, Vet Centers, Woman Vet
issues, How-to-Workshops, Emplo>ment and Training, and
Recruiting in the 90's.

There will also be a Vet Fair in the hallways with tables set
up from all the organizations to help answer your questions
along with different personnel fi-om the VA Hospital, Employ¬
ment and Training and representatives from your Congressmen's
offices.

This conference is FREE to all, so please set May 13th aside
and help us voice our concerns over the Veterans Budget Cuts.

Further information can be obtained from Steve Faye at
775-6946 or Bemie Sander's office at 1 -800-339-9834, ask for
Jim Rader.

On behalf of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter # 1, w^
would like to take this opportunity' in advance to thank Repi
sentative Bemie Sanders and his staff, Jim and Paul, for all the
hard work they have done to bring this conference together.

See you all on May 13th!

Legislative Rep., Steve Faye

Membership Notes

WELCOME! New members; Patty Gilbert, Northfield,
MA, a former charter member of the Brattleboro chapter;
At-Large transfer Dean Howarth, Richford; Bob Carvey,
Proctor; Donato Carrara, Rutland; and Bob Rummel,
Castleton.

Let's Heer From...

To continue with our monthly column, this month we'll
choose William Gamer, ofWmdsor, Dan Mack, Broomfield,
Colorado, and James Moulton, Newport. Again, any com¬
ments, thoughts, ideas you may have.

DUES NEWS. DUES NEWS!!

Dues are now past due!! If for some reason you have
misplaced your membership renewal information fi'om Na¬
tional, just submit the form that comes with your newsletter
along with your payment. There are about 13 outstanding
renewals - with these 13 we would have 100% renewal for
the 1995 Dues Campaign! So, you know who you are,
send in your dues, today!!

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

We Honor Our Vets

BROWNSVILLE GIRL
SHOE REPAIR

John Bergeron

Owner

20 Center Street
Rutland, VT 05701
(802) 747-4060

Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30
Sat. 8:00-Noon

Honor the Vet Program

DISCOUNT

10 %

10 %
10 %
10 - 20 %
10%+FREE cofifee/dessert

BUSINESS

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus
Rt. 7North, Rut., 773-7322

2. Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair
Center St., Rut., 747-4060

3. Clem's Kitchen
Wales St., Rut., 775-6104

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants
Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

5. Pappy's Restaurant
Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

6. ArmyNavy Store
Center St., Rut., 773-8839

7. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8. Sal's Restaurant
West St., Rut., 775-3360

9. Howard's Sunoco
S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

10. Boss Threads
Proctor, 459-3393

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys
Center St., Rut., 773-1488

12. Buxton's Sunoco 5% olflabor & parts

N. Main St., Rut., 773-9747

13. Bob's Hunting & Fishing 2%
Chittenden, 773-9507

14. Kym-Je Jewelers-Handmade Jewelry 10%

Brandon, 483-6533

15. C& S Consulting Group-Computers & Telecom- 10%
munications, Rt. 4A, Bomoseen, 468-5882

16. GregBarsanti, C.P.A. 20%

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

17. Two By Two-Handmade wooden jewelry 10%
Pittsford, 483-6121

18. Boise's Electrical Service 10%

Rutland, 747-4481

10 %

10 - 20 %

How

Wfl Chapter #1 Began

Submitted By Don Bodette

In the spring of 1979,1 was frustrated with the bureau¬
cracy of the VA. I felt uncomfortable at the traditional Vet¬
erans organization. In June, I went to Williston, VT to visit a
new Vets Center designed to help Vietnam veterans. Dur¬
ing that visit they invited me to attend a meeting ofNam vets
that called themselves Vermont Vietnam Veterans. I was
also given a name and phone number of a person who was
trying to get a National Vietnam Veterans organization started
(Bobby Muller).

When I called Mr. Muller, I was told that he was in the
process of doing the paper work needed to form a national
veterans organization. I could tell by the way he spoke he
was a lawyer, but I liked what he said about what he felt
some of the problems were and what should be done to
solve them. After talking to Mr. Muller, I knew what was
needed in this area, but I wasn't sure about how to go about
it

In July of 1979,1 attended the meeting of Vermont Viet¬
nam Veterans in Williston, VT. I remember their main topic
was whether they should stay a local veterans organization
or should they become part of a national organization. I
could not see how they could have more influence on the
VA and other government agencies by remaining a local or¬
ganization. Their fear was that a National veterans organi¬
zation would dictate what they could or could not do. I
decided that if properly set up, I could have both; or at least,
I should try to have both. In August I held our first meeting
at St. Peters School. Four people showed up, three veter¬
ans and one wife. They were all pissed off at the VA, but
none of them were willing to help solve the problems.

In September, I decided to try it again, and I invited a
guest speaker (Rusty Sachs). I was given Rusty's name and
phone number by Bobby Muller and I was told he was a
lawyer in the Hartford area and he flew choppers in Nam.
At the September meeting, Albert and Mary Trombley were
interested in helping form a Chapter of WA. That was their
mistake, because I worked the hell out of them for more
than 10 years. They helped in every way you can imagine,
from taking notes to going out on crisis calls. Other veter¬
ans, at that meeting were interested in joining; but they were
not ready or willing to get involved.

The following month, with the help of Albert and Mary
Trombley, we held our third meeting. I had already spoken
on the phone to several veterans who expressed an interest
in WA. I remember two veterans in particular, one taught
nursing at Castleton State College and the other was a gar¬
bage man. During the October meeting, I noticed those two
veterans, one was very well dressed and the other was wear¬
ing bluejeans with holes in them. I took for granted which
one worked at what profession. It wasn't until the following
month that I learned that the one with the holey bluejeans
was the teacher. From then on, I never judged a person's
capability by the way he looks. The garbage man was Jake
Jacobsen who became extremely involved. I remember tell¬
ing Jake to sell his bed because we were taking this act on
the road.

After the October meeting, I called Bobby Muller ai.
asked him where the organization stood as far as being le¬
galized because we were forming a chapter. Bobby told me
they weren't ready, to which I informed him that he better
get his act together because we were going to form Chapter
#1 oftheVietnam Veterans of America. By December of
1979 we had the required amount of paid members and in
January of 1980 we held elections for officers. However, it
took until April before Bobby Muller had his act together
and awarded us with the first Charter of Vietnam Veterans
of America.

The following year I was nominated as WA #rs del¬
egate at the first National Convention in Washington, D C.
After the election of officers, I was asked by Bobby Muller
to swear in the officers, because as Bobby put it, 1 pushed
him into getting the organi 2 ation going. I considered that
task an honor.

WA has grown a lot since then, some of which 1 agree
with, and some I don't. But no matter what, I wish them
well and hope they continue to grow. It took the help of a
lot of veterans, their spouses, family members and the gen¬
eral public to make everything work I wish to thank the'
all, you know who you are.

Respectfully,
Donald Bodette

Looking Bock

Submitted By Jake Jacobsen

Last February 27th I was hon¬
ored by my family for my 50th birth¬
day. I was told in many ways about
the milestone I had reached in my
life - 1/2 a century old, wow!!

Needless to say I began to reflect
on my life. Also consider that John
Bergeron had asked me to reflect
on how I became involved with
Vietnam vets & the beginning of
WA Chapter #1.

Well for me it really goes back
to 1971. That was quite a year in
my life. I had been back from Vietnam for about 2 years
and society had really pushed me to the limit. Their misun¬
derstandings of Vietnam vets fueled by the stories of Viet¬
nam vets had put me into a state of depression. Looking at
myself in the mirror I asked this question: Why do you let
people who know nothing about Vietnam or Vetnam vets
bother you? Internally I have always believed that, nobody
can take anything away from us unless we ourselves allow
it. That statement plus the belief that; 1) Vietnam veterans
were an untapped resource; & 2) the survivors of the 60's
& 70's would become the healers of the 80's &. 90's, put me
back on track.

My individual quest at that time became what I call "Op¬
eration Self-Esteem". I would search out Vietnam vets &
help them feel good about serving their country even though
many denied that military service. So for me, it began as a
Vietnam vet helping other Vietnam vets overcome societies'
reality. Slowly but surely the untapped resources started to
be tapped. The individual exchanges started the healing pro¬
cess.

Feeling like a pointman again, I continued to search for
those wounded here in America. Every state-side casualty

used to tear up my insides. 1 felt
the tremendous loss of creativity,
energy, healing & understanding at
times almost overwhelming the
mission. Search & Rebuild,
Search & Rebuild!! Operation
self-esteem turned into sharing with
one another (vet to vets) & then
sharing with anyone or group in
society that would listen. At least
we were talking.

One day while reading the
Rutland Herald there was an ad
which said; Vietnam Vets - Let's Talk. Apparently I had
missed the first ad. When I arrived at the location there
were quite a few people there including Don Bodette. The
rest as they say is history. With his drive & determination,
WA #1 was bom. Over the years there have been many
mmors about who started WA #1. Well, even though it
was a group effort one vet stands out in my mind as the
driving force - Don Bodette. I came to appreciate two things
I thought I had left behind in Vietnam; 1) True camaraderie,
& 2) Code of Honor. This was carried on, not only with
Don, but Albert & Mary Trombley, Dennis Ross, Clark
Howland, & others as we began linking up with one an¬
other.

My fondest memories of those days came when 4 or 5 of
us would sit around a table, maybe at Howard Johnson's or
wherever, & just "Brainstorm". The creative flow that came
out of those sessions, along with our "rap groups" will al¬
ways be in my mind & heart. It was a beginning & hope¬
fully it continues as part of our lives no matter where we are
in the future. Maybe I didn't say it enough back then but
"Thanks Guys & Gal" for "That Beginning"!

Jake

Vermont Thunder III to be held May 28 th

Vermont Thunder HI will be held on May 28, 1995. For
the third year in a row, area motorcyclists will ride the Viet¬
nam Veterans Memorial Highway to pay tribute to our fallen
brothers and our POW/MlAs. TTie run is approximately 120
miles long, and everyone is welcome.

Tentative Schedule

1000-1100 Arrive Vietnam Veterans Memorial on 1-89
Northbound (north of exit 1).

1100 Wreath laying ceremony.

1200 Leave rest area.

1330 Stop in Richmond for gas.

1400 Leave Richmond.

1500 Arrive in Swanton.

This year, instead of T-shirts, Vermont Thunder patches
and rockers are being sold. TTiese are black/white on a red
background. Patches are $7.50 and rockers (1993, 94, 95)
are $2.50 each, and they are available from Vermont Thun¬
der, do Mike Pendriss. 74 Meadow Road, Milton. VT 05468,
(802)893-1191.

I w^^Hspita
etn^fdi^g 1

Memories

Submitted by Dennis Ross

I w iMUs pitaJ corpsman with the 1 st Marine Division in
Vietnpma^pg 1968. I was with a Civic Action Platoon in
March, 1968, when we were almost overrun and I was
wounded.

I got out of the service in 1970 and returned to college to
get my associate degree in nursing. I rapidly found out that
you never told any of your peer group that you had been in
"Nam. It was NOT something you could talk about be¬
cause people would begin asking you questions that were
more accusations than questions, i.e. what's it like to kill
someone? I had no close friends who had been in combat
or people who could understand what I'd gone through. I
continued on with my schooling, getting an associate's, then
a bachelor's, and a master's degree in nursing. But I was
having a lot of trouble keeping things together. I had flash¬
backs that would wash over me at the strangest times - like
when I'd be scrubbed in the OR. I had trouble going out
walking near trees at night without getting super nervous. I
couldn't go for a walk in the woods without feeling like I
was naked unless I carried a rifle. I was beginning to won¬
der if I wasn't going crazy.

We moved to Vermont in 1979. I met a 'Nam vet, Sam
Bunge, who went to my church group (the Unitarian Fel¬
lowship in Rutland). Sam and I were kindred spirits. He
told me about the Vietnam Veteran rap groups that were
starting up and asked if Fd go with him. I went and it quite
literally turned my life around. Once we started talking I
found out that the other combat vets had feelings very simi¬
lar to my own. I decided that I wasn't crazy, that I was
normal for what I had lived through, that other combat vets
had many of the same feelings that I did. Once I found this
out, things started settling down and gradually I worked

through many of them. I still think about'
but I'm not obsessed with it anymore.

In the rap group I made friends with guys who were in¬
strumental in forming the FIRST chapter of the Vietnam Vet¬
erans of America. Don Bodette, Jake Jacobsen, Albert
Trombley and Mary Trombley were the pillars of this orga¬
nization as it started. I remember the big celebration we had
when the chapter started. Bobby Muller came from D.C. to
give us the charter for the chapter. We had a great party at
one of the restaurants up on Killington.

I really enjoyed meeting with the group and feeling like
we were doing things to help our fellow vets. Then I moved
to Castleton and my wife (Carol) and I had two sons. It
became harder for me to make the meetings and participate
in activities. Over time, I gradually stopped participating. I
sincerely missed my fiiends from the group. I'd run into
folks over the years and we'd talk, but that was about the
extent of my involvement until my daughter, Chelsea, com¬
mitted suicide a couple years ago. All my Vietnam veter;
buddies showed up at her memorial service and I felt the
support that they were providing me. I knew they under¬
stood my pain and that they sincerely wanted to help me
through that pain.

I have gotten much more from my relationship with WA
Chapter #1 than I can ever repay. The fiiendships that I
developed may not be seen frequently, but I know that I can
count on them if I ever get into a jam. I hope that they would
call on me if they are ever in a jam. One thing that I learned
in 'Nam was that it was your buddies that you counted on
and that would help you out when you needed them - that's
what I think the VVA is all about.

Dennis Ross

Support Your Newsletter!

Chapter # 1 now is selling space in our newsletter for ad¬
vertising. By doing this, we will raise money for the newslet¬
ter committee to use for publishing and mailing the monthly
newsletter. Also, we will promote the businesses or causes
of our local business owners, veterans and non-veterans
alike.

Space will be available at the following rates: Business

Card Size - $5.00 per month, 1/4 page - $10.00 per month,
1/2 page - $20.00 per month. Full page - $40.00 per month.
Mail your ads each month to either;

Beth Higgins, RD #1, Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735

John Bergeron, 20 Center St., Rutland, VT 05701.
Deadline for advertising will be the 15th of each month.

Calender of Upcomine Events

As WA #1 begins to look toward the busy summer
months, we will begin running a Calender ofEvents in each
edition. This calender will include meeting dates, parades,
special events, as well as events that pertain to other veteran
organizations. Ifyou know of an upcoming event that you
think other members might be interested in, send it in to us.
MaU to WA#1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• Saturday, May 6th - May meeting to be held at Clem's
Kitchen, Wales Street, Rutland, 5 p.m.

• Sunday, May 7th - Loyalty Day Parade, 2:00 p.m. - Vol¬
unteers for Color Guard and Float Committee are needed.
Contact Bill Higgins - 468-5652

• Sunday, May 28th - Vermont Thunder III - Third annual
Memorial Day ride, 1-89 North from the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial to Swanton.

• Sunday, May 28th - Rolling Thunder VIII, Run for the
Wall, Washington, DC, leaving from the Pentagon and end¬
ing at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

• Monday, May 29th - Memorial Day.

• Saturday, June 3rd - June Meeting to be held at The Carv¬
ing Studio (home of the unfinished work of John Reno),
Marble Street, West Rutland. Meeting at 5 p.m., bring a
picnic lunch.

BOISE'S

ELECTRICAL SERVICE

RICHARD (RICK) BOISE
MASTER ELECTRICIAN
(802) 747-4481

SPRING SPECIAL:

For the Month of May -
An Additional 5% Off
Any Electrical Work

"No Job is Too Small"

VT State Certified p.o. Box 782

EM 2965 Rutland, VT 05702

UAONLINE

Now Available on Internet

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, S-9 April

VA-ONLINE, the VA's month-old veterans information
computer bulletin board service, now is available on the
Internet.

"VA just placed the quickest, single source of VA and other
veteran related information at veterans' fingertips," said VA
Secretary Jesse Brown. "While the initial offerings of VA-
ONLENE are fairly modest, our potential for rapid growth
and expansion of services is limitless."

More than 8,000 calls already have been received with
more that 6,000 individuals downloading a variety of informa¬
tion. Current "best sellers" include the VA’s Persian Gulf
newsletter and the Veterans Benefits Administration's Fast
Facts - short descriptions of individual benefits, eligibility and
how to apply.

File areas are maintained by each of the VA's major com¬
ponents - the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans
Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery System.
Some VA staff offices also are online, providing real-time
information; more are expected shortly.

VA-ONLINE will have messaging areas available for vet¬
erans to leave comments and suggestions. Online polls and
questionnaires will allow them opportunities for responding to
periodic customer satisfaction surveys.

Gateways also will be provided for veterans to access Small
Business Administration bulletin board services, FEDWORLD-
which provides dial-out capabilities to more than 130 other
federal bulletin boards - and various employment opportuni¬
ties.

VA-ONUNE'stoU-free number is 1-800-USl-VETS. The
Internet Telnet/FTP address is VA-ONLINE VA.GOV or
192.26.48.131.

(Fomina ^oaellie

^ontin^ ^o^ether l 6 a (/S>e^LnnLn^
^^eepin^ ^o^ellier id prot^redd
lAJorLln^ ^o^etlier id Succedd

:jorJ

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
AU\RMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702

(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548-0043

Honor the Vet Program Update

The signs for the Honor the Vet Program have found
some new enthusiasm from not only the chapter, but also the
Rutland Redevelopment Authority, the Mayor's OflBce and
Ira Earle.

In a meeting Avith Matt Sternberg on April 6, 1995,1
discussed the project of the signs and where they could be
placed in conjunction with the entrances to Rutland.

His willingness to work with us on this project was really
surprising considering the lukewarm welcome we got two
years ago. He also seemed open to the idea of a flea mar¬
ket in the Center Street Alley (as a fund-raiser for Chapter
# 1) and to taking one day of the week (probably Saturday)
to close Center Street down for the day to expand the flea
market or craft fair thoughout the summer.

Ideas on this project will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
to Mike Divoll for the inspiration and hard work on your
part to get it started. Ideas you had years ago may partially
happen this year.

Back to the signs.

A meeting will be set up with the Mayor, Matt, Ira and
myself to discuss the logistics of the placement of the signs
and get fund-raisers started to pay for the cost of making
the signs ($3200).

We want to make this a COMMUNITY PROJECT
with the support of all the organizations in the Rutland area.

Our work is cut out for us and I think this time we are up
for the challenge. We have new oflScers and new input and
new resources. Let's capitalize on this dawning of a new
eraforChapter#!, on this, our fifteenth anniversary.

Please do not hesitate to contact any of the officers with
your input or projects you would like to see in the future.

We are here to serve you, the Chapter and you, the Com¬
munity.

Steve Faye
Vice President

Golden Prid^/Kawleigh

Distributor

Juanita "Kjm" Hoerr
802 - 483-6533

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY

Loyalty Day Parade May 7th

The Loyalty Day Parade will be held on May 7th, 1995
in Rutland. As this year is the 15th Anniversary of WA #1,
we would like to have a good turnout for this event. Kym
Hoerr has graciously loaned us her truck, & a platform has
been constmcted. On this platform will be the replica of the
Vermont Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Sharon. The
Color Guard will precede the truck, & marchers are always
needed. Our contingent forms up on Wackett St., which
runs between Center and Washington St. The parade be¬
gins at 1400 hours, please be in position by 1300 hours.

Corporate

Alternatives

• Helping America

Redistribute the wealth back to

the people.

• Helping people

Compete with the corporate giants.

• Helping people

Earn while they learn.

R. Jake Jacobsen

RR #1 - Box 1480, W. Rutland, VT

802-438-5188

Bracelets, Patches & Pins

Don't forget that Chapter One still sells POW/MIA brace¬
lets, bumper stickers, lapel pins and patches. We also can
special order pins and patches we don’t have in stock.

We always carry bracelets for the 5 missing Vermonters.
They are available for $7.50 and come with a fact sheet. Pins
are $4, and we have a wide variety of POW pins, as well as
Army, Navy, Air Force & Marine, Vietnam, Korea, & WWII.

Also available is a wide variety of bumper stickers con¬
cerning the POW issue, as well as the popular window decal
for inside your automobile. All stickers are only $1.

Contact John Bergeron or Beth Higgins for details on or¬
dering your supphes.

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Understanding the Value of People

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call: 775-2525
Member FDIC

VIETNfIM VETERANS OF AMERICA,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 annual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to:
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of yom dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as yom authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name:_

Address:_

City:_State:_Zip:_

Home Phone:_

_^Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One -1995

This is to certify that

John Doe _

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7

Sgt. Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

Jamboree to Benefit Dodge
Development Center a Success

On Sunday, March 26th the Benefit Jamboree sponsored
by WA #1 for the Dodge Development Center was held at
Broomsticks in Rutland. As planned, it was a day of filled
with fiin and music, but with a serious cause.

The day began around 1 pm when host band and co¬
sponsor 5/Me Train took the stage. Other bands included:
Haywire, Midnight Justice, Hard Livin’ Band, Restless,
Country Exposure, Back Room Band, Silverado, Coun¬
try Revival, & a jam session ended the festivities at 10 pm.

During the course of the day, an auction was held, door
prizes were given away, 50-50 raflfies were held, a bake
sale was held, and pizza was sold. The day's final tally was
almost $1,700!

WA Chapter #1 can not say enough good things about
The Blue Train Band and their significant others! Without
their help and hard work, none of this would have been
possible. Project Coordinator Bob Carvey also deserves a
big share of the credit for masterminding the whole plan!
Thanks also to auctioneer Hugh McGee!

Throughout the day, many people helped to make the
event a success, and hopefully we can somehow thank them
all for their contributions. People coming together to help
the area's veterans.. That's what makes Rutland a great place!

May Meeting to be
Held at Clem's Kitchen

May's meeting will be held on May 6th, 1995 at
Clem's Kitchen on Wales Street in Rutland,
beginning at 5 p.m. Please try to attend!

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all.
Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views
of WA #1 or WA National.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

£.aia [

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #7 will assist Vietnam Era
Veterans, their families and others in the enhancement of their life
experience through intervention and social interaction."

Vietnam Veterans of fimerka
Chapter One

nvnAMO

w*u«uc v tw Mom

May, 1995

Newsletter

Number 2, Vol. 5

From the Desk of
John Bereeron. President

On Thursday, May 18th a meeting was held at the VFW
in Manchester. The meeting was the first of its kind ever
held in the state. The main focus was to discuss the possi¬
bilities of starting a WA State Council. Now that Chester
has come on board, we have the minimum requirement to
form the first ever Vermont State Council. The meeting was
well attended. Representatives from all the chapters sat
around the table and discussed various issues such as the
closing of Sharon Rest Area, meeting with Governor Dean,
and chapter events. During these discussions it became
obvious that we need to open up a better means of commu¬
nications between our chapters. I believe that the attempted
closing of the Sharon Rest Area brought the matter of a
state council to the fi'ont.

So the next step is to return to our respective chapters
and have our memberships discus and vote for or 'agin' it.
So; if you have strong feeling one way or the other - Please
attend the next WA #1 meeting June 3rd to voice your
opinion and then vote.

Another good reason to attend the next meeting (which
will be held June 3rd at the Sculpting Studio in West Rutland
on Marble Street at 6 pm) other than the great company is
that at this meeting we will be unveiling the Rutland Areas
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in it's unfinished state. Mike
Winston of the studio and some professional sculptors wiU
be in attendance to lend their expertise.

I hate to end on a down note - But where the Hell was
everyone? WA #1 had a poor showing for the Loyalty
Day Parade. People worked hard at putting together the
float and Kym Hoerr donated the use of her truck. I would
have thought that with this year being our 15th Anniversary
we would have had a better showing. So - for those of you
who would like to redeem yourselves, show up at the next
meeting and you may be forgiven.

John

Re£ion I & Reaion II
Conference to be held

The Region I and n Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc
conference will be held starting Thursday, June 15 and run¬
ning through Sunday, June 18. The conference will be held
at Roaring Brook Resort and Conference Center in Lake
George, New York. The Conference Center has eleven
meeting rooms to fit our needs for our Region Conference,
which is held prior to the National Convention being held in
Houston in August.

The conference registration fee is $30 per person. Any¬
one interested in attending should contact John.

Membership Notes

WELCOME! New members: Scott Thompson,
Bomoseen; At-Large transfer Steve Sanderson, Montpeliler.
Steve is a past member of Chapter 1.

let's Hear From...

To continue with our monthly column, this month we'll
choose Mark Truhan, Mount HoUy, Victor Brunelle, West
Charleston, and Robert Posch, West Rutland. Again, any
comments, thoughts, ideas you may have.

OUES NEWS, DUES NEWS!!

We still need 12 renewals to reach 100% We have
your membership # and renewal form so:

1) Reach for Checkbook; make out check for dues.

2) Reach into desk and pull out envelope and stamp.

3) Mail to Chapter One.

4) We'll do the rest.

That's all there is to it!!

Membership Fact: Chapter #1 has 18 Life Members!
Way to go II You will hear more about this later.

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of WA #1 or WA National.

Vietnam Wants Open Relations

Hanoi Says POW/MIA Cooperation iVould Continue

Reprinted from The Stars and Strip>es, 24-30April
Hanoi (Reuter) - Vietnam wants normal relations with the
United States and a decision on the issue is up to President
Clinton, Hanoi's minister in charge of ties with Washington
said 18 April.

"We are ready, because it's good for both countries and
for the region," Deputy Foreign Minister Le Mai told Reuters.

"I think there is growing interest in the United States over
relations with Vietnam," he said. "Actually there is no politi¬
cal difference either."

"But it is up to the president of the United States to de¬
cide," Mai said in an interview ahead of the 20th anniversary
of the communist victory in the Vietnam War 30 April.

President Clinton has said full accounting for more than
2,000 US servicemen missing in action is atop national pri¬
ority and progress will help determine the pace of normaliz¬
ing relations with Hanoi.

The United States established formal ties with Vietnam in
January by setting up a liaison office Hanoi.

Mai said Vietnam would continue to cooperate with the
United States in its efforts to account for MIAs if full diplo¬
matic recognition were granted.

He rejected charges by American activists that Hanoi was
still holding US prisoners of war and said this was not an
issue between the two governments

"I think that suspicion has been buried now because of
hundreds of investigations conducted jointly by the Ameri¬
can and Vietnamese MIA experts," he said. "They found
nothing, no evidence whatsoever..."

Mai's statement comes in the wake of a brief visit by a
US House ofRepresentatives' National Security Commit¬
tee delegation, led by chairman Floyd Spence (R-SC).

On 15 April, Vietnam pledged to cooperate actively in
accounting for Americans missing in action during the Viet¬
nam War to help normalize ties with Washington, the official
Vietnam New Agency (VNA) said.

VNA was quoting Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, who made
the assurance during a meeting with the delegation, which
visited Hanoi for several hours as part of an Asian tour.

"Vo Van Kiet assured the delegation.. of Vietnam's con¬
stant policy to actively cooperate with the United States in
the search for Americans missing in action," VNA reported.

"The Vietnamese leader again reiterated that Vietnam's
policy is aimed at promoting finendly and cooperative rela¬
tions, (leading) step by step to full normalization."

Three million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians and 58,000
US troops were killed in the war, which ended in 1975.

VNA said Spence thanked Hanoi for its cooperation and
said he would inform Congress of his findings in the context
of helping accelerate the normalization of ties.

There was no immediate confirmation of Spence's re¬
marks.

Since the war ended, 378 Americans have been ac¬
counted for. A total of2,207 Americans are unaccounted
for in Indochina, including 41 civilians.

In Vietnam, the figure is 1,621, with the rest in Laos,
Cambodia and southern China.

Vietnam's ruling Communist Party said 14 April that Ha¬
noi was ready to normalize ties with the United States and
called on Washington to take the final step.

Mai, 54, has helped guide Hanoi's US policy since the
early 1970s peace talks in Paris, where he was a junior ne¬
gotiator, and is its chief point-man on the question now that
ties are finally improving.

Mai said diplomatic relations was not a prerequisite for
Most Favored Nation trading status, which Vietnam needs
to sell more goods in the United States.

Calender of Upcomind Events

As WA #1 begins to look toward the busy summer
months, we will begin running a Calender ofEvents in each
edition. This calender will include meeting dates, parades,
special events, as well as events that pertain to other veteran
organizations. Ifyou know of an upcoming event that you
think other members might be interested in, send it in to us.
Mail to VVA#1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• Saturday, May 27th - Spring Fling, Fair Haven. Memo¬
rial Day Parade at 1 pm. Chapter # 1 will not be marching.

• Sunday, May 28th - Vermont Thunder III - Third annu?'
Memorial Day ride, 1-89 North from the Vietnam Veterai. ^
Memorial to Swanton. Wreath Laying at 1100, leaving rest
area at 1200. Arrival in Swanton scheduled for 1500 hours.

• Monday, May 29th - Memorial Day. Chapter One will be
participating in the Memorial service to be held in the Ever¬
green Cemetery at 10:30 am.

• June 1 St - Next meeting to discuss the Center Street Alley
Craft Fair/Bazaar Seward's Family Restaurant - 7 pm

• June 3rd - Monthly meeting of Chapter One, to be held at
the Carving Studio on Marble Street in West Rutland. Un¬
veiling of the unfinished sculpture by John Reno. 5 pm, bring
a picnic supper.

• June 22nd - WIMSA Groundbreaking-Arlington Cem.

• July 27th - Korean War Veterans Memorial Dedication.

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Understanding the Value of People

80 West Street. Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call: 775-2525
Member FDIC

Vietnam Veterans Want
McNamara Book Profits

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, 24-30April
By John Herrera
Stars and Stripes Staff Writer

Some Vietnam veterans are demanding that profits from
former defense secretary Robert McNamara’s memoirs be used
for the \^etnam Veterans Memorial. McNamara recently broke
a 27-year silence on the Vietnam War in a controversial book
that has elicited more condemnation than praise.

"If Secretary McNamara is sincere about atoning for send¬
ing Americans into a war he knew they couldn’t win, then he
shouldn't profit fmancially from this sad, tragic late confes¬
sion," said William Detweiler, national commander of the 3.1
million member American Legion.

"The consequences of Secretary McNamara's failed judge¬
ment can be seen hobbling down the corridors of our nation's
VA hospitals," Detweiler said in an 18 April statement.

Vietnam veterans have been seething since McNamara started
a publicity campaign earlier this month to promote his book, in
which he says the war was wrong and unwdnnable from the
start.

Jan Scruggs, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Fund, urged McNamara to come to the Vietnam Wall and ex¬
plain why, if the war was unwinnable, he did not speak out at
the time.

"No one deserves and explanation for what w^ent on more
than actual veterans and family members of those who fought/'
said Scruggs, a former infantryman.

McNamara has declined invitations to speak at the Wall on
Memorial Day or Veterans Day, saying he will be out of the
country.

Some veterans have argued on computer bulletin boards that
McNamara, who remained silent about the war for 27 years,
should be tried for treason for sending more than 58,000 Ameri¬
cans to their deaths.

"McNamara should donate every penny of the blood money,"
said Vincent McGowan, board member and former president
of the 25,000 member Vietnam Veterans of America. He said
the mone>' should go to the Vietnam War Memorial, the black
granite wall in Washington, DC, on which the names of the
58,196 Americans who died in the conflict are etched.

A spokesman for McNamara's publisher. Times Books, said
McNamara "understands why the veterans have raised the is¬
sue. Any charitable contributions he intends to make from the
proceeds of this book he would prefer to do privately."

He did not disclose any financial details.

"Secretary McNamara should give all the proceeds to chari¬
ties that would help disabled Vietnam veterans and to the me¬
morial," said Scruggs. "His failure to earmark the funds for
something like this...does not reflect well on him."

In the book, McNamara blames himself and other former
officials for errors in the war. He says he had secretly believed
US involvement was futile and that the United States should
have withdrawn from South Vietnam as early as 1963, before
the massive US troop build-ups began.

"A lot of us are very angry," said McGowan. "If he really
Wyants to purge himself of the guilt he's going through, he should
reach in and cough up his advance and every penny he re¬
ceives."

Honor the Vet Program

BUSINESS DISCOUNT

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus 10%
Rt. 7 North, Rut., 773-7322

2. Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair
Center St., Rut., 747-4060

3. Clem's Ochen
Wales St, Rut., 775-6104

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants
Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

5. Pappy's Restaurant
Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

6. Army Navy Store
Center St., Rut., 773-8839

7. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8. Sal's Restaurant
West St., Rut., 775-3360

9. Howard's Sunoco
S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

10. Boss Threads
Proctor, 459-3393

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys
Center St , Rut, 773-1488

12. Buxton's Sunoco 5% oflflabor & parts

N. Main St., Rut., 773-9747

13. Bob's Hunting & Fishing 10%
Chittenden, 773-9507

14. Kym-Je Jewelers-Handmade Jewelry 10%
Brandon, 483-6533

15. C& S Consulting Group-Computers & Telecom- 10%
munications, Rt. 4A, Bomoseen, 468-5882

16. GregBarsanti, C.P.A. 20%

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

17. Two By Two-Handmade wooden jewelry 10%
Pittsford, 483-6121

10 %

10 - 20 %

10%+FREE cofiFee/dessert

10 %

10 - 20 %

Let's Hear From...Response from
Doug Yantz, Vergennes

Dear Chapter #1:

Thank you for asking me to write Chapter #1. 1966 I
joined the Navy to train as a Hospital Corpsman. The Navy
suited me at the times as USN had best medical school of all
the services and I didn't want to be in the Infantry pounding
the ground etc. Little did I know then my worst scenario
would come to pass.

1968 saw me at Monfret Point, Camp LeJune, NC dressed
in olive drab Marine fatigues ifc a M-14, running 5 miles a day
& playing war games.

Vietnam turn was with 1st 13th, 7th Marine regiment 1st
Marine Division FMF (Fleet Marine Force) "Delta" Co. in
AnHa Basin slogging the paddies, hills and mountains. This is
a rifle CO. which I was Corpsman for. Saw a lot of action &
finall>^ was wounded after some many months 8c sent back to
the states.

My life also was a roller coaster for 20 years after Nam
tiy^ing to "forget" Nam. But Vietnam cannot be forgotten. 1
no longer try to forget but I now want to "remember" what I
and every combat survivor endured so as to put an "end" to
the nightmare.

I am very concerned about our MIA/POWs. Recently I
viewed a two hour briefing tape by former Congressman Bill
Hendon (R). I would agree that there probably were live

POWs as recent as 2-3 years ago. The evidence seems over¬
whelming a cover-up took place.

I'm especially dismayed with Rep. Kerry (D-MA) and Sen.
McCain for agreeing t^t there are no living servicemen in
Vietnam. (What about Laos and Cambodia?) I'm upset wift
the Clinton Administration for taking a step closer to "norma
izing trade with Vietnam without a full accounting of our MIA/
POWs.

I also would one day want to return to may AO in Vetnam
and put an "end" or put to "rest" Vietnam nightmares. Maybe
if enough vets were interested we could have a "Vermont"
contingent. Think about it.

By the way, I was present when Chapter #1 received it's
charter in 1978 (or 79?).

Semper Fi
"Doc” Yantz

Ed. Note: Thanks Doug, for taking the time to let us get to
know you a little better. You raised a very interesting
question...a Vermont contingent returning to Vietnam. It is
certainly something to think about. What do the rest of our
members think?

■H onoy^ T~all

I JV[ay 29

We Honor Our Vets

BROWNSVILLE GIRL
SHOE REPAIR

John Bergeron

Owner

20 Center Street
Rutland, VT 05701
( 802 ) 747-4060

Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30
Sat. 8:00-Noon

KYM-JE

~ Retail Sales ~

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY

RFD 1, Box 1075, Kendall Hill Road
Brandon, Vermont 05733

^ J.M. ‘KYM’ Hoerr (802) 483-6533 )j

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548-0043

S^ememferS^P

^oyv\e. people ooll me Old Olo>*y^ o+li^»^ ooll me
fke 5 ^ ck \^ Sp<^»^9l^d BaKvrveK. Bu+ wkc'+eve»^ fkey ooll
me O om you»^ 'P^9/' 'P‘^9 ‘^f WnH-ed S'l'<^+es of

jAmei^leo. SomefkiKV0 kos been bofk^ nn0 mey so C 7
fkou0k+*Umi0k++<alk '+ over^ wi+k you...beoouse i+^s obouf
you ond me.

D >*emembeK some -Hme <:^0o people lined up on bo+k
sides o-pfke s+F^eef fo wofok +ke po»*ode ond nofu>*olly
.U wos Ieodin0 every porodey proudly wovin0 in fke
breeze. Wk^rv your doddy sow me o.omin0y ke imme¬
diately removed kis k^+ and placed it a0ainst kis ri0kt
skoulder so fk<^t fke k^^^d was directly over kis
keart,..Remember? T^nd youy *17 remember you.
3tandin0 tkere strai0k+ c\s a soldier. \^ou didn^t kcive
a k^^b but you were 0ivin0 tke ri0kt sa lute. R emem—
ber little sister? /s)ot to be outdoney ske was salutin0
tke same as you wi ri9 kt k and over ker

kea rt.. .Remember?

Wkat kc\ppened? <Z7^m still tke same OldT“la 0 . Ok/
.17 k^v/e a l-ew more stars since you were a ckild. lot
more blood kc»s been sk^d since tkose parades o'plon 0
a 0 o. But now C7 don^t j-eel as proud as D used to;
wke>^ ^ come down your street you just stand tkere
witk your k^:^rvds in your pockets and *17 may 0 et a small
0 lance and tken you look awayy tken .17 see tke ckil-
dren runnin 0 around and skoutin 0 .. .”Ukey don^t seem

to k^'ow wke *17 am...C 7 saw one man take o|^ kis k<^t
tken look around. •He did n^t see anyone else witk tkeir^s ^
of^ so ke quickly put kis back on. ^

C 7 s it a sin to be patriotic anymore? "Have you •['or-
0otten wkot *17 stand ■por and wkere C 7 Ve been? T^nzi
Cuadilcanaly K.oreay Vietnam and tke Persian ^ul*p.'
TTake a look ot tke memorial konor rolls sometimey of
tkose wko never came back to keep tkis republic
|ree...One nation under ^od...wken you salute mey you
are actually salutin0 tkem.

Well it won^t be Ion0 until C 7 'll be comin0 down your
street a0ain, Soy wken you see mey stand strai0kty
place your ri0kt kand over your kear...and .1771 salute
youy by wavin0 back**.ond *1771 know tkat...

you r<saa^mb^^!

^^.i^tkor LAnknown

June Meeting to be Held at
The Carving Studio

June's meeting will be held on June 3rd,
1995 at The Carving Studio on Marble
Street in West Rutland. The meeting will be
held outdoors weather permitting, bring a
picnic supper. Unveiling of the unfinished
sculpture by John Reno.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage Paid
Bomoseen, VT
Permit # 19

Please Forward

ntcmoHal dan

29, 199S

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #1 will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their life experience through intervention and social interaction."

Veteran Offering VA Manuals, Laws en Computer Disks

Condensed from The Stars and Stripes, 1-7 May

A Vietnam-era veteran in New Mexico has produced a set of
disks for IBM compatible computers containing a wealth of infor¬
mation for veterans with pending VA claims.

An experienced computer programmer, Douglas McArthur, said
he had to give up his job because of degenerative disk and joint
disease and osteoarthritis caused by an accident while serving in
the Navy. He developed the ” Vet View Files" while gathering infor¬
mation to help with his own VA claim.

McArthur, says his eight disk set contains more than 35 MB of
data on VA adjuication, voc. rehab. & tort claims, including VA
Adjudication Manuals M21-1 & the Physicians Guide for Disability'
Examinations; names & addresses of all VA facilities; VA medic^
center guidelines; Court of Veterans Appeals Rules of Practice & all
its full-panel decisions; Rating Board training letters, data on Agent
Orange, radiation & Gulf War ^drome - "and much more."

McArthur said he asks for a $25 donation to cover costs, but
sends the disks free to any veteran requesting them.

"Any donation is greatly appreciated," McArthur said. "The
biggest difficulty I have is keeping the programs updated. The VA
simply does not want to make it easy' for veterans to have these
regulations."

Vet View, McArthur said, is being used by county service offic¬
ers in a number of states as well as several WA, VFW, AMVETS &
other veterans organization chapters. He has mailed more than 300
copies so far.

McArthur also distributes an occasional newsletter. Veterans
Viewpoint, a forum for veterans endeavoring to obtain information
from the VA. For more information, or to order the disks, write to
Douglas McArthur, PO Box 1153, Belen, NM 87002-1153; telephone
505-864-2147 or 505-864-6817.

VIETNfIN VETERANS OF RMERICR,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP APPUCRTION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 aimual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to;
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as yom authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name:_

Address:_

City:_State:_Zip:_

Home Phone:_

_^Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One -1995

This is to certify that

John Doe _

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7

Sgt. Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

Vietnam Veterans of fimerica
Chapter One

June, 1995 • Newsletter •

Number 2, Vol. 6

From the Desk of
John Berseron. President

It's make or break time for WA #1.1 firmly believe that
this is a pivotal year for our organization. I realize that we
have made great strides in these past few months. Our mem¬
bership is at its highest point ever - we have a consistent
newsletter - our lines of communication have improved be¬
tween National and our members. But, we need to get be¬
yond that and get on with our purpose as an organization.

We presently have three projects on the boards:

• We have started a 50/50 club and are now selling 50/
50 raffle tickets for a monthly drawing. Each ticket is $5.00
with a maximum 200 tickets printed and sold. The winner
and WA#1 will split the money 50/50, and if all tickets are
sold, each will receive $500.00. The drawing will be held
each month at our monthly meeting. If you would like to sell
or buy some tickets please call Beth - 468-5652 or Steve -
775-5105. Our first drawing will be held on Saturday, July
1st. Winners will be reported each month in the newsletter.

•Our next project will serve a dual purpose - fund-rais¬
ing and community awareness about WA #1. This project
is the first of its kind in Rutland, so if we succeed or fail, we
will be judged accordingly. WA#1 along with the Rutland
Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor "The Center
Street Alley Common Market". We will kick off this event
on Saturday, July 8th and it will be held on the 1 st Saturday
of each month after that. The times will be fi'om 0800 hrs -
1500 hrs. Various vendors will be allowed to sell their wares.
Space will be on a first come, first serve basis and a fee of
$5.00 will be charged.

We have been holding meetings on Thursday nights to do
some of the leg work. Now we need people to do the
following tasks;

- Sign Makers

- Posters

- Marketing

- People to hand out flyers

- Someone to schedule entertainment or secure a sound
system

- Plan opening ceremonies (On the day of the event I feel
3-5 people will be enough)

- Drop off and pick up signs

- Direct Vendors

- Provide security

- Answer questions

- Man WA #rs booth

- Police the area after completion

I would like to see a good turnout so that next year we
could hold the market on 2 days a month.

If you would like to volunteer for any of the above tasks,
pleas contact: Steve - 775-5105; Beth - 468-5652; Kym -
483-6533.

Now for our 3rd project. This one will be a real huge
afifeir. You've heard me speak ofthe piece offour ton marble
that we have in our possession. A few of us have met with
the fine folks at the carving studio in West Rutland and after
some discussion we have decided that the members of WA
#1 should do the sculpting themselves.

Here's how it is going to work. The portion that was
completed by John Reno will be left untouched, a memorial
to him. Each individual who wishes to participate will be
allowed to sculpt a part of the monument with their own
personal idea. It could be something as simple as just a few
words. The people at the Studio will assist anyone who
wishes to participate and they will provide the training as
well as the tools & space. There are people on location at
night for those who want to work in the evenings.

Everyone will have to submit their ideas and the mem¬
bers will decide what can or cannot be placed on the marble.
For those of you who do not wish to sculpt there are other
jobs that you may do - clean the marble before the actual
sculpting takes place, polishing, landscaping, etc.

We have until Memorial Day 1996 to complete this "Me¬
morial". We will also need people to secure a location for
this as well as line up people to move and prepare a site to
recdve the monument. If interested in participating, contact
WA #1 and let us know your ideas.

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of WA#1 or WANational.

So - as you can see we have our work cut out for us, but
it isn't anything that WA #1 can’t handle - Right? I realize
that we have many members who live outside the Rutland
area & would find it difficult to take part in some of these
projects, but that doesn't mean you can't put your two cents
in! We would like to hear fi'om you & get your input.

That brings me to my next topic. WA # 1 needs to de¬
cide soon if they would like to form a state council with
Chapters 601 Bennington & 723 Chester. The deadline is
July 28th because on the 29th we are meeting again and will
need to know what to tell them. The Board of Directors
feels that this is a major issue and the membership should
vote on the matter. On the back page you will find a ballot.
Please return it no later than July 20th. Only those who are
members in good standing will be allowed to vote.

John

Membership Notes

If you have read your newest Veteran magazine, you will
see a notice that it will stop comine if you are not current
with your dues! Get those late renewals in now! On the
other hand, if you are not receiving the Veteran, and feel you
should be, drop us a line or call Dick Doyle at 885-2167.
I'll get it straightened out with National.

QUESTION: What do all these towns have in com¬
mon? Bellows Falls, Brandon, Brattleboro, Barre,
Bomoseen, Burlington, Castleton, Colchester, Clarendon,
Danby, Fair Haven, Graniteville, Hardwick, Londonderry,
Montpelier, Newport, Orwell, Pittsford, Poultney, Proctor,
Putney, Richford, Rochester, Rutland, St. Albans, South
Burlington, Springfield, Stockbridge, Wallingford, West
Charleston, West Rutland, White River Jet., Wrlliamstown,
Wmdsor, and Vergennes.

iSJ9qiuaw auQuaidmij qimsuim]^ luouuayi -'USAiSNV

Let's Hear from...

To continue with our monthly column, this month we'U
choose John Gilligan, Dean Howarth and Tony Rossier. We
know you're out there guys!

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

iil^ i®

Calender of Upcomlne Events

Now that the busy summer months are upon us, we vr’’
be running a Calender of Events in each edition. This cal¬
ender will include meeting dates, parades, special events,
as well as events that pertain to other veteran organizations.
If you know of an upcoming event that you think other mem¬
bers might be interested in, send it in to us. Mail to WA # 1,
PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• July 1st-Saturday, 1pm. Fourth of July parade in Bran¬
don. VVA#1 will be marching. Ifyou would like to partici¬
pate, call Bill Higgins, 468-5652.

• July 1st - Saturday, 5 pm. Monthly meeting of Chapter
One, Seward's Family Restaurant, North Main St., Rutland.
First 50/50 drawing will be held.

• July 27th - Korean War Veterans Memorial Dedication.

• July 29th - Picnic at Emerald Lake sponsored by Chapter
601 beginning at noon. We are all invited.

• August 5th - Saturday, monthly meetmg of Chapter One.
Place and time to be announced.

• August 13th - Sunday, Bennington Battle Day Parade
Formation at 11:30, step off at 12:30. For information call
Bill Higgins.

Articles Needed For Newsletter^

This is your newsletter. We try to fill it with as much in¬
formation as we can find, but we need your help. We need
your articles, letters to the editor, poetry, artwork, newspa¬
per clippings, upcoming events, or anything else you think
might be interesting to other members of the chapter. With¬
out you, this newsletter & this chapter cannot succeed!!
Send your articles to:

WA # 1, PO Box 63 01, Rutland, VT 05 701
or

Beth Higgins, RD #1 Box 8 8 A, Castleton, VT 05735.

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Understanding the Value of People

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call: 775-2525
Member FDIC

Honor the Vet Program

Each month Chapter One will welcome any new participants in the Honor The Vet Program in
the newsletter. This will acknowledge and thank the business people who are participating, as well
as keep you up to date on who is offering what for a discount. The current participants are listed
below with their addresses, phone numbers and discounts.

BUSINESS DISCOUNT

1 Northeast Army Navy Surplus

Rt.TNorth, Rut, 773-7322

10%

2 Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

Center St., Rut., 747-4060

10%

3. Clem's Kitchen

Wales St, Rut, 775-6104

10%

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants

Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

5 Pappy's Restaurant

Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

10-20%

10% + FREE coffee/dessert

6 Army Navy Store

Center St., Rut., 773-8839

10%

7. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8 Sal's Restaurant

West St, Rut, 775-3360

10%

9. Howard's Sunoco

S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

10%

10. Boss Threads

Proctor, 459-3393

10-20%

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys

Center St , Rut, 773-1488

10-20%

12. Buxton's Sunoco

N. Main St, Rut, 773-9747

5% off labor & parts

13 Bob's Hunting & Fishing

Chittenden, 773-9507

10%

14. Kym-Je Jewelers-Handmade Jewelry

Brandon,483-6533

10%

15. C&S Consulting Group-Computers

Rt. 4A, Bomoseen, 468-5882

10%

16. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

20%

17. Two By Two-Handmade wooden jewelry

Pittsford, 483-6121

10%

18. Boise's Electrical Service

Rutland, 747-4481

10%

Thanks to all these establishments for believing in the veteran! Show your membership card from any veteran's organi¬
zation (or other proof of service) to obtain your discount at any of these places!

Do you know of a business who might like to participate in The Honor The Vet Program? This program sets a prece¬
dent in the state, & to be strong, it needs businesses. Contact Tom Reardon at 518-499-2488 to have a representative visit
the business & explain the program.

America Online Offers
'A Virlual Visit' To The Wall

Reprinted jrom The Stars and Stripes, 15-21 May, 1995

Americans who wish to visit Vietnam Veterans Memorial
but can't make the trip to Washington can now take a short¬
cut via the information highway.

America Online last month opened a new online area that
will enable millions of people to make a "virtual visit" to the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The new web site is a joint
effort between America Online, The Vietnam Veterans Me¬
morial Fund and Military City Online, which is operated by
Army Times publishing.

"I'm quite excited about bringing the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial to America Online," said Jan C. Scruggs, who heads
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. "This new forum
complements our ongoing mission to honor the American mili¬
tary personnel who gave their lives in Vietnam, and to edu¬
cate the general public about the sacrifices they have en¬
dured."

"Although the Vietnam War at one time divided many
Americans, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has become a
worldwide symbol of our country and the men and women
who have died for it," said Ted Leonsis, president of America
Online Services Company. "We are honored to be the ve-

We Honor Our Vets

BROWNSVILLE GIRL
SHOE REPAIR

John Bergeron

0\A/ner

Center Street
Rutland, VT 05701

( 802 ) 747-4060

Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30
Sat. 8:00-Noon

hide that will bring the history, the names, and the spirit of
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial into the homes of millions of
Americans."

The service, which is available only to America Online
members, offers a history of The Wall, as well as a compU
database of the 58,000 people whose names appear on the
black granite memorial.

Online users can read detailed stories, accompanied by
photos, for several names. For other names, the database
simply offers name, hometown, rank, and date of birth and
death.

However, an interactive feature allows users who want to
share their personal memories and experiences to upload pic¬
tures and stories of their own into the database.

The Wall Forum contains a message board for communi¬
cating with other users, as well as a software library filled
with historical text, maps and pictures of The Wall and the
Vietnam War. Library materials can be downloaded to any
user's computer.

Members of America Online can access The Wall through
the Military City Online site.

"Just as Mihtary City Online enables people in the military
community to communicate with each other, this online Viet¬
nam Veterans Memorial is a wonderful way to connect with
those people who experienced Vietnam," said Military City's
general manager Rick Peck. "A visit to this unique area is,
like The Wall itself, a moving experience."

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702

(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OFSTATE WATS (800) 548-0043

Honor The Vet Program

Recently John Bergeron asked Tom Reardon to chair the
Honor The Vet Program and he agreed to accept the chal¬
lenge. So in the future if you need information about the
program, contact Tom at: RD #2, Box 2648A, Whitehall, NY
12887, phone number 518-499-2488. Good Luck, Tom!

The Honor the Vet Program has now expanded to the Ben¬
nington, Chester and Bristol-Middlebury areas. Chapters 601
and 723, as well as Bill Fitzpatrick will canvas their communi¬
ties to recruit businesses to join the program. Hopefully some
time in the future, the program will go statewide. Thanks to
Chapters 601 & 723, and to Bill for their interest in promoting
the program. We wish them luck in their tasks.

Support Vour Newsletter!

Chapter ^ 1 now is selling space in our newsletter for ad¬
vertising. By doing this, we will raise money for the newslet¬
ter committee to use for pubUshing and mailing the monthly
newsletter. Also, we will promote the businesses or causes of
our local business owners, veterans and non-veterans alike.

Space will be available at the following rates: Business
Card Size - $5.00 per month, 1/4 page - $10.00 per month,
1/2 page - $20.00 per month. Full page - $40.00 per month.

Mail your ads each month to either: Beth Higgins, RD #1,
Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735 or John Bergeron, Center St.,
Rutland, VT 05701.

Deadline for advertising will be the 15th of each month.

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 6335
Rutland, Vermont 05702
773-8407 800-286-8407

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA.

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP APPUCATION

Name:_

Address:_

City:_State:_Zip:_

Home Phone:_

_^Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One -1995

This is to certify that

John Doe _

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7

Sgt. Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

B£ fin fiam mmstn

Be an Active Member

The kind that would be missed;

Don't be just contented
That your name is on the list.

Do attend the meetings
And mingle with the crowd;

Don't stay at home

And crab both long and loud.

Don't leave the work for just a few
And gripe about the clique.

And take time out to visit
A member who is sick.

There is quite a program scheduled
That means success, if done.

And it can be accomplished
With the help of everyone.

So attend the meetings regularly
And help with hand and heart.

Be an active member
And take an active part.

Think this over. Member
Are we right or are we wrong?

Be an active member.

Please don't just belong.

Clip and Return to: WA #1, Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05701

Should the Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One of Rutland, VT join with
Chapter 601 - Bennington & Chapter 723 -
Chester to form a State Council?

I I Yes 1^ No

Clip and Return to: WA # 7 , Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05701

July Meeting to be Held et
Set^erd's Femily Resteurent

July’s meeting will be held on July 1st, 1995
at Seward's Family Restaurant on North
Main Street in Rutland at 5 pm.

Editor's Note: The poem printed on this page recently appeared
in WA Chapter One-Eleven’s newsletter It voices an all too fa¬
miliar problem of Chapter One, and probably all organizations.
Please think about it. And thanks to Chapter One-Eleven for
putting it so eloquently!

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage Paid
Bomoseen, VT
Permit #19

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #1 will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their life experience through intervention and social interaction."

Vietnam Veterans of ffmerica
Chapter One

Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 7

From the Desk of
John Bereeron. President

Is the glass of water 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? If you are a
member of WA #1 it is clear which we would choose. Stick
with me folks, this will all make sense in a minute.

On July 8, 1995, WA #1 held it's first Center Street
Alley Common Market and on this day we would learn that
even though you might think that you may have all your bases
covered, some thing or some one will throw you a nasty
curve ball (Oh God, I am starting to sound like a sports
writer!).

So, let me take you back in time. Prior to the July 8th
event, members of WA # 1 met on numerous occasions to
work out the particulars connected with holding such an
event. During the week of the Market, Bill & Beth H., Kym
H., and Jon P. would meet at my store and we would letter
and paint the signs. It soon became evident who the real
painters were and who should repeat Sign Making 101! On
Friday night Jon and I assembled the signs. Now ail we had
to do was wait.

Saturday arrived as it usually does after Friday, and the
weather was perfect; sunny and the temperature was cooler
than it had been for some time. The Gods were with us on
this day! At 7:00 AM Jon and Kim Bolack arrived to col¬
lect the signs and distribute them throughout the city.

Oh, I failed to mention that the weather report predicted
nice weather with a chance of rain later in the day. Life is
Good!! Our first vendor arrived at 6:30. Pat Martin made
sure he got himself a prime spot. As other members of WA
# 1 arrived we were kept busy with last minute details. By
the time 8:00 rolled around there were now 12 vendors and
that was more than we had planned on

So, picture this if you can; Jon, Dick, Bill, Beth and I all
wearing our new WA # 1 baseball caps, big smiles on our
faces, waiting for the onslaught of people to arrive in the

alley to browse and spend their money. We were ready to
answer any questions and handle any crises. Little did we
know there was a crisis looming in the Western skies.

Yes, I know we were in the middle of a drought and rain
was needed, but couldn't it at least wait until 3:00? At about
10:30 the skies opened up and it poured! It hadn't rained
this hard all summer! And to add insult to injury, they threw
in a little thunder and lightening. A half hour later the rains
stopped and we were down to four vendors. Should we
panic and pack up and leave? We decided to stick it out to
the end, along with the remaining vendors. The sun came
out for the remainder of the day. A number of people did
come down to the Alley to check out the Market, but I am
sure they were disappointed. We explained the circum¬
stances to them and told them to please come back on Au¬
gust 5th.

This is where the cup of water comes into play. I sup¬
pose because of the rain we could have called this a total
failure, but we all decided that for our first time, we did re¬
ally well. All the vendors did manage to sell enough to cover
their expenses. WA #1 made $30, sold some raffle tick¬
ets, and signed up a new member. Welcome to Kim Bolack
and we thank you for your help I also would like to thank
the following: Kym, Jon, Beth, Bill and Dick for their help.

Our next Market on August 5th will be bigger and better
“ I promise. We are working on getting face painters,
clowns and Mark Stocton's Martial Arts students will put
on a demo. So please tell everyone you know to visit the
Center Street Alley Common Market, cosponsored by WA
# 1 !

Recently I had a conversation with Jan Estelle, the wife
of Joe Yandell. She explained to me that Joe's release fi'om
prison is more involved than just unlocking the cell doors
and sending him back to Vermont. The Massachusetts Pa¬
role and Review Board needs to send a report to the equiva¬
lent board here in Vermont. They in turn will review and
study the report and then make a decision as to whether to
let Joe return to Vermont or not. So we all know his imme-

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of WA #1 or WA National.

diate release is not imminent. She thinks that the earliest
would be this fall. I extended an invitation to Jan and Joe to
attend a WA meeting at any time, and if she or her family
needed assistance to please feel free to call on us.

So far the ballots that we have received are unanimously
in fevor of forming a State Council. Please get your votes in
soon!

We have received some great ideas for the monument.
People are needed to clean the marble before we start carv¬
ing. Sculpting should begin in the very near future so that the
Memorial Day 96 deadline can be met. Remember those of
you that can only work at night the studio will be open in the
evening.

Don't forget the picnic on July 29th at Emerald Lake,
beginning at noon. Emerald Lake is a great place to hang
out for a day. Swimming, boating, hiking, and sunbathing;
Let's all get together and socialize for a change of pace!
Hope to see you all there!

John

Editor's Note: As usual, John is giving out lots of credit
for the Common Market, but realistically, there would
be no Market if it wasn't for John! Thanks, John!

$f(€

formerly

Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

1^€.l9eAt€d To
13 Center Street

Visit our new expanded
store • All repairs done on
premises • Carrying a iarge
iine of shoe care products
• Heels While You Wait

Wr Ok>

10% Discount on all repairs

ToAh ^c>5€>»h

Owner

13 Center Street, Rutland, VT
Tues.-Fri. 8:00-6:30, Sat. 8:00-Noon

Uietnam Ueteran Confident
On Land Nine Ban

By Maja Wallengren
Reuter

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, 12-18 June, 1995

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - The campaign for a global ban
on land mines will meet with eventual success but lobbyists
should not expect their goal to be achieved overnight, former
Vietnam War Veteran Robert Muller said 3 June.

"It will take years, but we will get there - we'll get a ban
on this weapon," Muller told Reuters.

Muller, confined to a wheelchair since being shot in Viet¬
nam in 1969, said support for an international ban on land
mine production had grown dramatically since his early in¬
volvement in the campaign in 1991.

"I've never worked on an issue as powerful as this cam¬
paign - I'm very, very encouraged by the progress we have
made.

"The fact that 400 people from 40 countries have come
here is pretty impressive," Muller said.

The activist/veteran likened the campaign to outlaw land
mines to similar bans on chemical and biological weapon.'"

A three-day international conference to ban land mines-
opened in Phnom Penh 2 June with the strong support of
Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk.

The king voiced anger at some producer countries which
have shunned the conference. He named no names, but
France and China were among those which did not attend
despite Sihanouk's traditionally close ties with those coun¬
tries' leaders.

Experts say up to 10 million land mines remain to be
cleared in Cambodia, one of the world's most mine-infested
countries.

The conference also has heard how other countries cope
with the deadly legacy of land mine, of which there are an
estimated 85 million scattered throughout the world.

Conference coordinator Jody Williams said the economic
and social impact of land mines was devastating.

WAC Veterans Association
Seeks Members

Kym Hoerr reports that the WAC Veterans Associ?
tion, Vermont Maple Leaf Chapter 100, is always lookii.^
for new members. Women who have served in WAAC,
WAC and present duty who are interested in joining, please
contact Kym at 902-483-6533.

Honor the Vet Program

BUSINESS DISCOUNT

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus

Rt.TNorth, Rut., 773-7322

10%

2 Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

Center St., Rut., 747-4060

10%

3. Clem's Kitchen

Wales St., Rut., 775-6104

10%

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants

Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

10-20%

5. Pappy's Restaurant

Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

10% + FREE coffee/dessert

6 Army Navy Store

Center St., Rut., 773-8839

10%

7 Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8. Sal's Restaurant

West St., Rut., 775-3360

10%

9 Howard's Sunoco

S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

10%

10 Boss Threads

Proctor, 459-3393

10-20%

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys

Center St., Rut., 773-1488

10-20%

12 Buxton's Sunoco

N. Main St., Rut., 773-9747

5% off labor & parts

13 Bob's Hunting & Fishing

Chittenden, 773-9507

10%

14. Kym-Je Jewelers-Handmade Jewelry

Brandon, 483-6533

10%

15 C&S Consulting GrOUp-Computers

Rt. 4A, Bomoseen, 468-5882

10%

16 Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

20%

17. Two By Two-Handmade wooden jewelry

Pittsford, 483-6121

10%

18 Boise's Electrical Service

Rutland, 747-4481

10%

Membership Notes

We still have 12 members who have not renewed their
memberships. I would appreciate feedback on why these
folks have decided not to renew. What are we doing wrong
guys?

This month we have letters from three - that's right, three
- members responding to our Let's Hear From column. It's
great to get feedback from the members, especially from the
ones that can't make the meetings. Thanks, guys, for your
honesty and sincerit>' in sharing your thoughts and feelings!

Lot's Host From...

This month Let's Hear From Bob Schaffer, Michael
Venezia, Jr, and Howard Stillwell, III. Speak up, guys, what's
on your mind?

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

Dear John,

Recently 1 transferred my unassigned membership to your
group and have been meaning to write for a few months now
and had meant to join well over a year ago but was in the VA
hospital, Manchester at that time and then 4 months ago had a
fire but rescued your application and mailed it out.

Subsequently 1 have received your last 2 newsletters and
have enjoyed them as well as wishing your meetings were a
little closer to Barre as I would like to become more active in
your group.

I am also writing to express or otherwise share with you a
httle discontent I have relative to our national organization.

To give you a httle background: around 6 years ago when
I first became a member I mentioned it to a fiiend and former
serviceman whose response was that he didn't have much
use for them as he had wTitten once to join and never heard
from them.

I didn't give it much thought and later became a life mem¬
ber. However I had a situation arise in 1994 when I wrote to
Mr. Brazee and am still waiting for a reply.

It resulted from my receiving correspondence from na¬
tional inviting me to join when I was already a life member as
well as contributor through the payroll deduction program.

So I guess what I'm saying is that an organization if it is
doing its job right should be responsive when someone takes
the time to contact them and I would hope that WA #1 is
more in touch than national appears to be.

Anyway thanks for reading the letter and I look forward to
meeting you if I can make it to one of the meetings.
Sincerely,

John R. Gilligan

WA Chapter #1:

My Vietnam experience wasn't much to talk about, but

since you asked and for what it's worth, here goes. I was
regular Navy and served as a radioman on a destroyer; the
USS Samuel B. Roberts (DD823). We were the first east
coast squadron to be sent to Vietnam, and we were over the’
in '65-66. Our primary fimction was carrier escort, but whii^
we were there we operated several miles up the Saigon Rjver
^\^th spotter planes to provide shore-fire support for ground
units.

It was a relatively low-risk operation, with the closest call
being a near confrontation with a group of sampans approach¬
ing around a bend in the river. Since our only armament were
a couple of 5"/38 turrets (we had no close-range weapons),
we lobbed a few rounds at them and moved away from the
area.

We had a few problems, but it certainly wasn't the "hell"
that so many of you went through. Our greatest claim to
fame was that we were there to support the rest of you: and.
we did the best we could at that.

But we did have some things in common \\ith the rest of
you. We ran into the same prejudices when we came back
home. In '66 we were an embarrassment to the "good" citi¬
zens; we were war mongers to the hippies; we were pitied by
our relatives ("It wasn't a 'real' war," they'd say); and we
lacked credibility with a lot of veterans of "other" wars. And
we watched with disdain through the rest of the '60s and mto
the '70s as those prejudices grew; and with growing outrage
as this country tried to weasel out of its responsibilities to it<=’
Vietnam vets. And when we saw Vietnam veterans grou^
forming, many of us who wore the ribbon but never got to set
foot on Vietnamese soil didn't join because we thought they
were only for the ground forces. But just as during the war.
we were ready to support you any way we could: and we still
are.

And now, almost 30 years after I came back. I still see
veterans having to fight for every little scrap that the govern¬
ment tosses down: this is a shameful manifestation of what's
happened to the spirit of this country! And now the govern¬
ment wants to balance the budget on the backs of its veterans
by cutting or eliminating VA benefits, disability pensions, job
training and placement, and who knows what else? I couldn't
believe it when the Sate of Vermont announced its intention to
close down the Sharon rest area and the Vietnam Memorial
Once again, the Vietnam vet was going to have to take it on
the chin. I'm glad to hear that the memorial will stay where it
is (and I understand that the facilities will stay open too?), but
closing it down should NEVER have been considered in the
first place! Another whack at the Vietnam vet! I rode in
Vermont Thunder III this year. It was my first Thunder ride,
and my daughter and son-in-law came along, too. Now, they
didn't have a big Gold Wing to ride, or a Harley Davidson, or
anything impressive, but they rode their little 'rice-burae
that 138 miles because they wanted to do something to honor
Vietnam veterans; it was a gesture from their heart...and I
couldn't have been prouder of them! And as for Vermont's
Thunder run, it was impressive!...a great experience!...and a

real honor to be a part of it. And I hope it keeps growing
because I think it's important to keep reminding people of
what has happened to Vietnam vets and to keep the MIA/
POW issue in the public eye.

"And that's all I have to say about that."

Bob Posch

Happy Independence Day, Brothers;

I am delighted to have just received the May 1995 of the
WA Chapter One Newsletter. Thank you for including me
on the mailing list.

It is good to read that Chapter One is healthy and active.
I was afraid that the chapter had lapsed.

We moved from Vermont to SE Alaska 13 years ago. We
loved Vermont, and I guess this place agrees with us, too.
They are both excellent places to live, and I really cannot
compare them because they are so different. I miss Vermont's
hardwood forests, the six distinct seasons, and the rural land¬
scape. If I left Alaska, I would miss the spectacular wild
scenery, the bald eagles, the salt water, the fishing, and the
mild maritime climate. Both places have tough, independent,
self-reliant, hard-working , outdoors people. Both places can
be ideal for raising the kids.

Our little island town of 3500 folks has a few Vietnam
vets, but we are not organized. So I have remamed a mem¬
ber at large of the national WA, but my only activity is to
read the Veteran. I would by pleased if Chapter One could
carry me on the chapter roll as a corresponding member.

I get back to Vermont every 3-5 years. When I do, I
always look up WA member Dennis Ross, who now lives in
Middlebury. If there is a membership directory for Chapter
One, I would like to visit with other vets, too. If any members
of Chapter One ever come through SE Alaska, plan to spend
some time with us. We'll launch the skiff and take you com¬
pletely out of touch with any signs of civilization. We’ll visit
the eagles and the sea lions, and maybe persuade a halibut to
visit us for dinner.

Best Wishes,

Sam Bunge

50/50 Raffle Winner!

WA #rs first 50/50 Raffle drawing was held
on July 1 St at the monthly meeting. Kathy
Bruce pulled the winning ticket, and the
winner was Greg Parker of Rutland. Greg
was our first lucky winner, picking up a quick
and easy $405! Tickets for the August 5th
drawing are selling fast, get yours today!

VA Offers Understanding the Appeal Process

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, 12-18 June, 1995

Appealing a benefits claim?

A 40-page VA brochure. Understanding the Appeal Pro¬
cess, answers commonly asked questions and lists do's and
don'ts for veterans filing cases with the Board of Veterans
Appeals (BVA). Appropriate laws and regulations are cited.

"Board members reviewed the pamphlet for accuracy, but
it was written by non-lawyers with non-lawyers in mind," ad¬
vised BVA - Chairman Charles L. Cragin. "It's up to each
individual, but this pamphlet is not a 'do-it-yourself manual.
We urge veterans to get help from an experienced represen¬
tative rather than find out too late how legally complex filing
an appeal can be."

Appellants in nearly 90 percent of BVA cases are repre¬
sented by veterans service organizations, which first suggested
creation of the pamphlet.

"Thanks to this and other suggestions from the veterans
service organizations, BVA also is rewriting standard infor¬
mation documents, such as notices to appellants, to make the
appeals process more user-friendly and understandable," said
VA Secretary Jesse Brown.

Understanding the Appeal Process is available at all VA
regional offices and medical facilities and at the BVA. Veter¬
ans can call the regional oflfice nearest them at 800-827-1000
or the BVA at 202-565-5436. Those filing new appeals will
receive their copies when their cases are placed on the BVA
docket.

Books Recommended for your reading pleasure

I recently had the pleasure of reading From Vietnam and
Beyond, by Colin Carter. Colin is a Life Member of WA
Chapter One, and Commander of Gould/Holton Chapter #614
of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Many of you have had the opportunity to hear Colin read
his poetry at various veterans events around the state. Those
of you who haven't don't know what you're missing.

Colin has used his talent at poetry and verse to exorcise
his demons left from his experiences in the Vietnam War. He
has shared his poetry with many, helping other veterans to
work through their own traumas.

I highly recommend From Vietnam and Beyond to any
and all who have an interest in poetiy^, Vietnam, and survival.
Purchase inquires should be sent to: From Vietnam and Be¬
yond, 141 Fairview St., Barre, VT, 05641.

Also reviewed this month was Not All Soldiers Wore
Pants, Kym Hoerr says that this is a hilarious account of a
member of the Womens Army Corp during WW II and her
adventures.

This book is definitely recommended to anyone interested
in the female side of life in the Army. Books are $17.95,
including shipping, and may be purchased from: K>an Hoerr,
RFD 1 Box 1075, Brandon, VT 05733.

Hanoi Hands Over Remains; MIA Aeifivisf Teld te Leave

Condensed from The Stars and Stripes, 12-18 June, 1995
By John Rogers, Reuter

Hanoi - Even as Vietnam returned six sets of remains believed to
be U.S. soldiers or airmen killed in the Vietnam War, a bizarre
drama unfolded recently between U.S. military officers and an
acti\ist on the MIA issue who claims Vietnam is still holding
U.S. prisoners of war in an underground jail.

Former Republican congressman Bill Hendon 5 June chal¬
lenged the staff of the U.S. military office here to take him - and
journalists - to investigate his information.

Hendon, quoting a source he refused to identify, told report¬
ers that prisoners were being held in an imderground jail at a
top-secret mihtary base called Hung Hoa in a mountainside about
50 miles northwest of Hanoi.

Any confirmation that Vietnam has held American POWs for
the past 22 years would be political dynamite in Washington,
DC.

Hendon, a former North Carolina congressman, denied he
was making the claim for political reasons.

Hendon quoted President Clinton as saying he would "leave
no stone unturned in the search for American prisoners" and
added: "This one is the unturned stone."

A spokesman for the U.S. military detachment in Hanoi said
it would check the claim according to established procedures if
Hendon was willing to hand over his information.

Lt.-Col. Melvin Richmond, commander of the Hanoi detach¬
ment of the U.S. Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTFFA),
said he was ready to investigate Hendon’s allegations, but not
with reporters present.

The U.S. military brought in a Bangkok-based investigator of
so-called "live sighting" reports of captive Americans after
Hendon made public his claim that U.S. POWs were being held.

Hendon said he refused to hand over his information without
journalists present because he feared the U.S. militaiy^ would
mount a cover-up.

Richmond said the military was ready to investigate the claim
under established procedures but would not accept the infor¬
mation at a news conference, "because that's an irresponsible
wa>' to conduct a sensitive investigation."

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry denied Hendon's charges
and said he was "spreading ill-intentioned information."

"It is clear that Mr. Bill Hendon's words and deeds do not

reflect the truth and are only aimed at hampering progress in
U.S.-Vietnamese relations," it said in a statement.

It repeated earlier statements "that there are no American
prisoners, defectors or deserters still in Vietnam."

Hendon responded by handcuffing himself to the outside ^
the gate of the JTFFA compound, a series of buildings in their
own grounds nicknamed "The Ranch," which house the U.S.
government's MIA investigators.

It was the second time in four days that Hendon had chained
himself to the gate. On 3 June, Richmond had Hendon's hand¬
cuffs removed with bolt-cutters.

The confrontation apparently ended when Vietnam ordered
Hendon to leave the country the next day.

Hendon said the Foreign Ministry sent him a letter declaring
him persona non grata and telling him to leave Vietnam when his
visa, already extended, expired.

In a letter telling Hendon he would have to go, the Foreign
Ministry accused him of "carrying out anti-order activities,"
breaking the law and impeding the work of the U.S. MIA office
in Hanoi.

"Your behavior has not contributed to solving the MIA is¬
sue," Hendon quoted the letter as saying. "Moreover, it would
harm the process of good cooperation between Vietnam and the
United States."

Hendon spent 8 June at his hotel, saying he was on a hunger
strike until U.S. officials took him to the alleged jail site. He
renewed his request after receiving the letter declaring him per¬
sona non grata.

Golden Pride
Rawleigh

Distributor

Juanita "Kym" Hoerr

802-483-6533

We proudly support the

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS

Vietnam Veterans of America

; 1 ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

- Chapter One -

Stephen C. Faye

Green Mountain Bank

FIELD SUPERVISOR

Understanding the Value of People

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702

(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In.Rutland call: 775-2525

VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER

Member FDIC

U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548-0043

Calender of Upcomine Events

This calender includes meeting dates, parades, special
events, as well as events that pertain to other veteran orga¬
nizations. If you know of an upcoming event that you think
other members might be interested in, send it in to us. Mail
to WA #1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• July 29th - Picnic at Emerald Lake sponsored by Chapter
601 beginning at noon. We are all invited.

• August 5th - Saturday, 8 a.m. till 3 p.m. - Center Street
Alley Common Market. Volunteers needed! Fun for ev¬
eryone: Antiques, Hand Crafted Items, Food, Produce,
Music & More! If you can't volunteer, stop in and look
around anyway!

• August 5th - Saturday, monthly meeting of Chapter One.
Seward Family Restaurant, North Main Street, Rutland. 5
o' clock, special guest, presentation.

• August 13th - Sunday, Bennington Battle Day Parade.
Formation at 11:30, step off at 12:30. For information call
Bill Higgins.

• August 20th - Sunday, 50th Anniversary of WWII Com¬
memorative Parade. Color Guard will be marching. For
more information call Bill Higgins, 468-5652.

• August 23 rd thru 29th - The Moving Wall will be in
Meredith, New Hampshire. August 26th - POW/MLA Day.

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 6335
Rutland, Vermont 05702
773-8407 800-286-8407

VIETNfIM VETERANS OF RMERICR,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP RPPUCRTION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Viemam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 aimual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to:
\^etnam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card tmtil you receive one from National.

Name:_

Address:_

City:_State:_Zip:_

Home Phone:_

_Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One -1995

This is to certify that

John Doe

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter UJ

Sgt» Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

-1

Salute to a POW/MIA

by Rachel Korpanty, 13 year old 7th grade student

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August Meeting to he Held at
Seward's Family Restaurant

August's meeting will be held on August
5th, 1995 at Seward's Family Restaurant on
North Main Street in Rutland at 5 pm. We
will have a "Special Surprise Guest", so
let's have some chow & chat!

Cares and Concerns

Word reached us recently that Bill Picknell, one of our
recent transfers has had an accident. It seems that Bill fell
30 feet off the roof of his business. He has multiple fractures
and is going to be laid up for quite a while. I'm sure he would
enjoy receiving some cards! Mail them to: Bill Picknell, Rt.
100, PO Box 196, Rochester, VT 05767.

Thanks Extended

WA #1 was recently named as a recipient of donations
in memory of Bill Grant, a Vietnam Veteran from Poultney
who recently passed away. Donations were received from
several people, and private thank you's have been issued.
Thanks to the family of Bill Grant for thinking of us.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

SUMER!

Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage Paid
Bomoseen, VT
Permit # 19

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #1 will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their life experience through intervention and social interaction."

VietiKim Veterans of America
Chapter One

Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 8

From the Desk of
John Bergeron. President

In the past few months the Veteran's Community in Ver¬
mont have combined forces to let the Powers That Be in
Montpelier know that they disagreed with certain pending
legislatioa The flag burning amendment was one such is¬
sue. The one issue which really comes to mind is the an¬
nounced closing of the Sharon rest area and the moving of
the Vermont Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Within minutes
of this annoimcement the veterans around the state were on
the phone and fex machines to let those in Montpelier know
that we were P—-d Offl

Well it seems that when a bureaucrat conjures up a Pork
Barrel scheme that is going to cost the tax payers a substan¬
tial amount ofmoney they can justify their project by letting
everyone know that there is a major problem that needs to
be addressed. If the problem does not exist presently, they
will make dam sure it will in the near future, even if it is just
on paper. Hence the need for a $20 million dollar Mega-
Rest Area to be located in Randolph, VT. Their logic is that
there are certain rest areas that are in various states of disre¬
pair and would be too costly to the taxpayer to upgrade and
maintaia

An evaluation team was formed to inspect all the rest
areas in the state. These rest areas would have to conform
to ADA codes. Each area was given so many points for
various categories such as; Facility conditions, ADA access.
Security, etc. The point system was based on the lower
numbers indicating a poor score. These evaluators in their
infinite wisdom gave Sharon a score of 20; the lowest of the
seven to be closed. Their report was given to the folks in
Montpelier and we know the rest of the stoiy.

As soon as the Governor and his cronies heard that the
natives were restless a meeting was scheduled with the vari-
,jus Vietnam Veterans groups, DAV #17 and General

Edward's office. Needless to say the Governor got an ear¬
ful and was educated in Veterans Diplomacy 101. By the
time the meeting adjourned that Friday, Montpelier knew
that they had better step back and rethink their plans for
closing the Sharon rest area. All of a sudden the Sharon
rest area was not as bad as they had thought.

So, as of now Senator lUuzzi's committee has removed
the Northboimd rest area fi'om the lists of areas to be cfosed.
One of the ideas being discussed is to close the rest area in
the winter months. They are also discussing placing a sign at
the entrance "Welcome to the Vermont Vietnam Memorial -
The first in the nation. This is not a full service rest area.
Next area Randolph, X miles". The logic being that the area
will be used by those wanting to visit the monument and that
those who just want to use the facilities can go on to
Randolph. Also the parking lot will be plowed in the winter.

To me this sounds as if they want us to compromise; not
ctasing the rest area and leaving the monument in return they
can close it during the slower months. That way with less
usage there will be less stress and cost associated with the
rest area. You need to contact Senator Iltuzzi and Governor
Dean to let them know how you feel and while you are in
contact with them, thank them for their help. We are quick
to jump in someone's face when things go bad so a thank
you on occasion would be appreciated, I am sure.

Senator Vincent PhiTzi
PO Box 1
Orlean,VT 05860
(802) 754-2200

Gov. Howard Dean
Pavilion Bldg.

Montpelier, VT 05609
(802) 828-3333

So, the bottom line is that:

CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IF WE ALL PULL TOGETHER!

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained

1. - .1. ......._.*1 .. - •. ..r*TrTrAt/i. TrXTA'VT-^*. .1

Now that I have you all cheering and waving the flag, this
next story will bring you down in a hurry.

We reported in our July issue the passing of Bill Grant.
His family had his remains cremated. The VA paid for a
small amount of the cost, leaving a large portioa

According to Joel Williams of Pouhney, he approached a
veterans organization in the area asking for a donation to
help defiay the cost of the cremation. Joel felt comfortable
approaching this group because he is the Chaplain, and Bill
had been a longtime member. So, it should have been a
simple formality. But to Joel's amazement, his request was
voted down and zero dollars were donated to one of their
owa

I find this behavior repugnant, incomprehensible! I was
under the impression that we took care of each other, but
apparently all of us are not on the same wave length. Thank
God 1 am a member of WA Chapter One. WA #1 will be
sending a $150 check to the funeral home. If any of you
would like to make a contribution, please send it to:

Roberts-Aubin Funeral Home
17 Allen Terr.

Poulmey, VT 05764
Paid on Bill Grant Account.

Thank You.

John

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^^d-ino/od- to t/io/4^04fi- tdo/d- CiAo4do2i- # /. 7

}>9VHi9VH i/Af

formerly

Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

44^4 1^et9e4it€4.

13 Center Street

Visit our new expanded
store • All repairs done on
premises • Carrying a large
line of shoe care products
• Heels While You Wait

Wt Ony \tetf

10% Discount on all repairs

79Ah

Owner

13 Center Street, Rutland, VT
Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30, Sat. 8:00-Noon

Honor the Vet Program

BUSINESS

DISCOUNT

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus

Rt. 7 North, Rut., 773-7322

10%

2. Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

Center St., Rut., 747-4060

10%

3. Clem's Kitchen

Wales St., Rut., 775-6104

10%

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants

Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

10-20%

5. Pappy's Restaurant

Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

10% + FREE coffee/dessert

6. Army Navy Store

Center St., Rut., 773-8839

10%

7. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8. Sal's Restaurant

West St., Rut., 775-3360

10%

Howard's Sunoco

S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

10%

10. Boss Threads

Proctor, 459-3393

10-20%

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys

Center St., Rut., 773-1488

10-20%

12. Buxton's Sunoco

N. Main St., Rut., 773-9747

5% off labor & parts

13. Bob's Hunting & Fishing

Chittenden, 773-9507

10%

14. Kym-Je Jewelers-Handmade Jewelry

Brandon, 483-6533

10%

15. C&S Consulting Group-Computers

Rt. 4A, Bomoseen, 468-5882

10%

16. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

20%

17. Two By TwO-Handmade wooden jewelry

Pittsford, 483-6121

10%

18. Boise's Electrical Service

Rutland, 747-4481

10%

Thanks to all these establishments for believing in the veteran! Show your membership card from any veteran's organi-
ation (or other proof of service) to obtain your discount at any of these places!

tfiA VniciriACC kr AYT^lnin nmoram

Membership Notes

This month we would like to recognize our LIFE MEM¬
BERS: Don Amorosi, Sharon Amorosi, Greg Ballou,
Michael Boston, Victor Brunelle, Colin Carter, Mike DivoU,
Robert Erickson, John Gilligan, Dean Howarth, Jake Ja¬
cobsen, Robert Lubinsky, Thomas O'Donovan, Jack Reed,
Steve Sanderson, Bob Schaffer, Robert Slabey and George
Wisell. Many thanks to you gals and guys. You are the
foundation of our chapter. 1 have submitted a letter to the
WA Veteran "challenging" any other chapter to beat our
percentage (28%) of life members. Let's see if they publish
iL

On a less pleasant note, according to National we have
"lost" the following members: Richard Alberty, Royal
Barnard, Bill Barnes, Duane Cornwall, Don Edwards, Steven
Johnson, John OTlaherty, ^Mlliam Orr, Tony Rossier and
Roland Smith. If you are reading this WE WANT YOU
BACK!! Please help keep us strong and send your dues
today.

Another reminder, I was talking to a member last Satur¬
day, and during the conversation he told me he's not getting
the Veteran monthly magazine. Ifl don't know I can't try to
fix it. No excuses, but National is not being very coopera¬
tive in responding to requests to fix these things. Let me
kiK)w if you aren't getting the Veteran or are having any other
membership problems.

WELCOME to new members Michael Brown &
Donald Thompson. And WELCOME BACK Clark
Howland!! It is great to have all of you with us!

Lei's Hear From...

This month Let's Hear From Barbara Carris, Jean
Callahan, and Patty Gilbert. It's about time we got some
insight fi'om the women. So far we have only asked for
input from the men So tell us ladies, what is on your mind??

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

U.S. Identifies MIA Remains in Vietnam

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, 3 lJuly-6 August, 1995
Hanoi (Reuter) - U.S. military investigators have identified
human remains found in Vietnam as belonging to four U.S.
servicemen officially listed as missing-in-action since the Viet¬
nam war, American officials said 27 July.

A spokesman for the U.S. Joint Task Force-Full Ac¬
counting office in Hanoi said two sets of remains had been
identified as those of Captain Jack P. Dove of Bluefield,
WV, and Lt. Col. Boyd Squire of Sacramento, CA.

The spokesman, Maj. Randall Garrett, said Dove and
Squire were on board a T-28 D aircraft shot down while on
an armed night mission over Vietnam's Quang Ninh prov¬
ince on 12 July, 1967.

Garrett said a third set of remains had been identified as
those ofCoL Joseph Chestnut of Muiffeesboro, TN, who
was piloting a T-28 which crashed driring a night mission on
13 Oct., 1970, over Laos.

The flight leader in Chestnut's group reported seeing
Chestnut's plane hit the ground, but a subsequent search
and rescue mission at the time had been unable to locate
Chestnut's body, Garrett said.

The remains of a fourth serviceman also were identified
but details were being withheld at the request of relatives.

A total of 70 sets of remains have been identified since
joint Vietnamese-American search efforts began in 1992.

Golden Pride
Rawleigh

Distributor

Juanita ''Kym" Hoerr

81 2 - 483-6533

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS

I i ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

- Chapter One -

Stephen C. Faye

Green Mountain Bank

field SUPERVISOR

Understanding the Value of People

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 773^7305 - FAX 773-3878

80 West Street. Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call; 775-2525
Member FDIC

VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER

U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548-0043

Calender of Upcoming Events

This calender includes meeting dates, parades, special
events, as well as events that pertain to other veteran orga¬
nizations. If you know ofan upcoming event that you think
other members m^t be interested in, send it in to us. Mail
to WA #1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• August 23rd thru 29th - The Moving Wall will be in
Meredith, New Hanpshire. August 26th-POW/MIA Day.

• September 2nd - Saturday, 8 am - 3 pm. Center Street
Alley Common Market. Volunteers needed! Something
for everyone! Antiques, Produce, Crafts, Food & Fun!!
Come down and support your chapter!

• September 2nd - Saturday, 5 p.m. Monthly meeting of
WA Chapter#]. Seward's Family Restaurant, North Main
Street, Rutland.

THaMMk

Youl

A Big Thank You goes out to Sue and Pat Farrow. At
the August meeting, they donated to Chapter a statue of "A
Family at the Wall". It is a very touching and beautiful piece
of work. Pat and Sue have been great supporters of WA
Chapter One ever since the Moving Wall was here in Rut¬
land. Thank you Sue and Pat, for your thoughtfulness.

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 6335
Rutland, Vermont 05702
773-8407 800-286-8407

VIETN6M VETERANS OF fIMERICR,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP APPUCRTION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 annual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to;
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name:

r -i

1 Vietnam Veterans of America 1

Address:

KIP' Chapter One -1995 |

Citv:

State:

Zip:

1 This is to certify that 1

1 John Doe 1

Home Phone:

1 is a member in good standing of the •

1 Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7 1

1 Sgt Pepper '

' Membership Committee Chairman 1

Vietnam Era

New

Renewal

Associate

New

Renewal

1 Temporary Membership Card 1

Support Your Newsletter!

Space will be available at the following rates: Business
Card Size - $5.00 per month, 1/4 page - $10.00 per month,
1/2 page - $20.00 per month. Full page - $40.00 p&c month.

Mail your ads each month to either: Beth Higgins, RD #1,
Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735 or John Bergeron, Center St.,
Rutland, VT 05701.

Deadline for advertising will be the 10th of each month.

Articles Needed For Newsletter

John Bergeron, Center St., Rutland, VT 05701
or

Beth Higgins, RD #1 Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735.

I' —

I September Meeting to be Held
Ij et Sewerd's Femilf Resteurent

II The next meeting of Chapter 1 will be

I held on September 2nd, 1995 at Seward's
Family Restaurant on North Main Street in
Rutland at 5 pm. Hope to see you there!

50/50 Raffle Winner!

WA #rs 50/50 RafiBe drawing was held on
Aug. 5th at the monthly meeting. Kathy Bruce
pulled the winning ticket, and the winner was
Nancy Yellen of Orwell. Nancy was our
second lucky winner, picking up a quick and
easy $300! Tickets for the September 2nd
drawing are selling fest, get yours today!

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage Paid
Bomoseen, VT
Permit # 19

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #7 will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &

others in the enhancement of their life exnerience throuifh intervention and social interaction. "

Calender of Upcoming Events

This calender includes meeting dates, parades, special
events, as weU as events that pertain to other veteran orga-
ncations. Ifyou know ofan upcoming event that you think
other members might be interested in, send it in to us. Mail
to VVA #1, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

• August 23rd thru 29th - The Moving Wall will be in
Meredith, New Hanqjshire. August 26th-POW/MIA Day.

• September 2nd - Saturday, 8 am - 3 pm. Center Street
Alley Common Market. Volunteers needed! Something
for everyone! Antiques, Produce, Crafts, Food & Fun!!
Come down and support yoxir chapter!

• September 2nd - Saturday, 5 p.m. Monthly meeting of
WA Chapter#!. Seward's Family Restaurant, North Main
Street, Rutland.

Xlianic

Yoiil

A Big Thank You goes out to Sue and Pat Farrow. At
the Ai^nst meeting, they donated to Chapter a statue of "A
Family at the Wall". It is a very touching and beautiful piece
of work. Pat and Sue have been great supporters of WA
Chapter One ever since the Moving Wall was here in Rut¬
land. Thank you Sue and Pat, for your thoughtfulness.

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 6335
Rutland, Vermont 05702
773-8407 800-286-8407

VIETNAM VETERANS OF RMERICa

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP APPUCRTION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 annual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to:
Viemam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name:

r 1

1 Vietnam Veterans of America 1

Address:

1 Chapter One - 1 995 j

Citv:

State;

Zip:

1 This is to certify that 1

1 John Doe 1

Home Phone:

1 is a member in good standing of the •

1 Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7 '

1 Sgt Pepper •

1 Membership Committee Chairman '

Vietnam Era

New

Renewal

Associate

New

Renewal

1 Temporary Membership Card 1

Support Your Newsletter!

Space will be available at the following rates: Business
Card Size - $5.00 per month, 1/4 page - $10.00 per month,
1/2 page - $20.00 per month. Full page - $40.00 per month.

Mail your ads each month to either: Beth Higgins, RD #1,
Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735 or John Bergeron, Center St.,
Rutland, VT 05701.

Deadline for advertising will be the 10th of each month.

Articles Needed For Newsletter

This is your newsletter. We try to fill it with as much in¬
formation as we can find, but we need your help. We need
your articles, letters to the editor, poetry, artwork, newspa¬
per clippings, upcoming events, or anything else you think
might be interesting to other members of the chapter, '^th-
out you, this newsletter & this chapter cannot succeed!!

Send your articles to:

John Bergeron, Center St., Rutland, VT 05701
or

Beth Higgins, RD #1 Box 88A, Castleton, VT 05735.

September Meeting to be Held
et Seward's Family Restaurant |

The next meeting of Chapter 1 will be j
held on September 2nd, 1995 at Seward’s j
Family Restaurant on North Main Street in
Rutland at 5 pm. Hope to see you there! j

^ 50/50 Raffle Winner!^

WA # 1 's 50/50 Raffle drawing was held on

Aug. 5th at the monthly meeting. Kathy Bruce

■

pulled the winning ticket, and the winner was

Nancy Yellen of Orwell. Nancy was our

second lucky winner, picking up a quick and

easy $300! Tickets for the September 2nd

1 drawing are selling fast, get yours today! j

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
RO. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage Paid
Bomoseen, VT
Permit # 19

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #/ will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their life exnerie.nce through intervention and social interactinn. "

Vtetnain V^teram cf |liii«riar
Chapter One

September, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 9

To those of you who traveled to the
meeting on September 2nd, only to find
it cancelled at the last minute, we apologize!
The bylaws indicate that meetings should be
chaired by the senior officer in attendance,
not cancelled. Although we tried to contact
the regular attendees there was no way
to reach all members; therefore, the
meeting should have gone on as planned.
This will not happen again!

Oefober Meefhg io be Held at Seward's Family Restaaraot

The next meeting of Chapter 1 will be held on October 7th, 1995 at Seward's
Family Restaurant on North Main Street in Rutland at 5 pm. Hope to see all of you there!

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of VYA #1 or WA National.

Honor the Vet Program

Each mcmth Chapter One will welcome any new participants in the Honw The Vet Program in the newsletter. This will aeknowledge and
thar^ the business people who are participating, as well as keep you up to date on who is ofifering what for a discount. The current
participants are listed below with their addresses, phone numbers and discounts.

BUSINESS

1 . Northeast Army Navy Surplus
Rt. 7 North, Rut., 773-7322

2. Downtown Has Sole Shoe Repair

Center St., Rut., 747-4060

3. Clem’s Kitchen
Wales St., Rut., 775-6104

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants
Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

5. Pappy's Restaurant
Merch^ts Row, Rut., 775-7489

6. Army Navy Store

Center St., Rut.,”773-8839

7. Ron's Sunoco
Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8. Sal's Restaurant

West St., Rut., 775-3360

9. Howard's Sunoco
S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

10. Boss Threads

Proctor, 459-3393

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys

Center St., Rut., 773-1488

12. Buxton's Sunoco

N. Main St., Rut., 773-9747

13. Bob's Hunting & Fishing
Chittenden, 773-9507

14. Kym-Je Jewelers-Handmadc Jewelry
Brandon, 483-6533

15. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

16 . Two By Two-Handmade wooden jewelry
Pittsford, 483-6121

17. Boise's Electrical Service
Rutland, 747-4481

DISCOUNT

10 %

10%

10 %

10 - 20 %

10% + FREE coffee/dessert

10 %
5%
10 %
10%
10 - 20 %
10 - 20 %
5% off labor & parts
10 %
10 %
20 %
10 %
10 %

18. Bud's Family Restaurant

Evelyn St., Rutland, 775-5981

19. Battery Street Jeans
Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-6445

20. Leather Fashions^ Inc.
Woodstock Ave., Rutland, 775-3099

21. Lemon Rentals

Rt. 4, W. Rutland, 800-639-6460

22. McNeil & Reedy, Inc.
Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-7760

10% before tax
10%

Discount p/us they pay the tax!
12% on car or van rentals

10%

Tha^s to all these esmblishmOTts for believing in the veteran! Show your membership card from any veteran’s organization (or other
proof of service) to obtain your discount at any of these places!

Do know of a business wlm mighUike to participate in The H^or The Vet Program? This pro^am sets a precedent in the state, &

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Unctetanding the Value of People

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call: 775-2525
Member FDIC

Golden Pride
Rawleigh

Distributor
Juanita "Kym " Hoerr

802-483-6533

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 83

Bomoseen, Vermont 05732
26&B602

VIETNAM VETERIINS OF flMERICH,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP RPPUCRTION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 annual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to:
Viemam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name •_

Address:_

City:_State;_Zip:_

Home Phone:_

_Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate New Renewal

-1

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One-1995

This is to certify that

John Doe

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7

Sgt Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

Membershi|) Notes

A Big WELCOME to newtnemberaMr. aad Mrs. Jo¬
seph Silva, Jim Dyer, Charles Bolack and Larry Conners
are at 75 members. WELCOME BACK...Bill Barnes;
we missed you!

Back newsletters are available for any new members vsto
are interested. Ifyou would like any or all ofthem, contact
me or the newsletter committee.

Let's Hear From...

This month Let's Hear From Michael Boston, Matthew
Mul%an and Carroll (Butch) Paul.

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 5480043

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301

Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #/ will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their Experience through intervention xmd social interaction."

Vietnam Veterans of ffmerica
Chapter One

October, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 10

From the Desk of
John Bergeron, President

On Wednesday, Oct. 11,1995 the doors of Bay State Cor¬
rectional Center swung open and Joe Yandle was allowed to
walk out a free man. Joe and his wife Jan have returned to
the state of Vermont and will now get on with the business of
getting on with their lives.

For those of you who are not familiar v^th this story, Joe
has spent the past 23 years in prison in the state of Massa¬
chusetts. While in prison, Joe has done much to turn his life
around. He also received his associates and bachelors de¬
grees. Joe is a Vietnam veteran and was elected to the office
of president of the local WA chapter while he was incarcer¬
ated.

WA #1 welcomes Joe HOME and wishes him and his
^ family all the best. Our doors are always open to them.

For all you Vietnam Vets who suffer from PTSD or any
other war related maladies ''get over it", the war is finally
over and you all can come home once and for all. Yes! It
seems as if the ’hotbed’ of the anti-war movement will be
dedicating a Vietnam Veterans monument this very Veterans
Day. Folks, believe it or not, but Berkley California has de¬
cided to dedicate a plaque with the names of those who were
KIA in Nam.

This project was spearheaded by Country Joe McDonald,
Most people remember him from the original Woodstock days.
’’Give me an F, Give me a U, Give me a C, etc., etc., you
know the rest. Unfortunately that was his claim to fame for
awhile.

Joe is also a Vietnam Era Vet. He served in the US Navy
for three years and received an honorable discharge. Like a
lot of us he did not think that being a vet was any big deal until
he saw what was happening to the returning Vietnam vets,
and how they were treated in the ensuing years.

So thanks to his efforts, Berkley will be joining the ranks
of hundreds of other communities throughout this fine land of
ours. Man, is this really happening or is it all those drugs I
^ook in the 60s? Oh, by the way, I remember him singing at

the Wall during the 10th anniversary ceremonies.

Well, once again the US Government has shown it’s true
colors when it comes to taking care of its own. It seems as if
the B25 bomber which was shot down over the jungles of
New Guinea during the WWII has been located and there
are apparently human remains inside the aircraft. Those re¬
mains could belong to Earl Sevene of Waterbury, VT, and
Richard Haley of Plymouth, NH.

Brian Lindner, Vermont Chief of Research for the North¬
east POW/MIA Network, who is also of Waterbury, has been
combing the jungles of New Guinea these past few years in
search of this downed plane.

According to Bob Smith of NH the Army's Central ED
Lab refuses to spend part of their 19 million dollar budget to
follow up on this find. You can rest assured that this is not the
end of the story. Stay tuned.

Recently the state of Vermont was represented at a WA
National function by our very own Steve Faye. Steve repre¬
sented the Green Mountain State at the officers meeting, held
at WA National in Washington, DC. The meeting was held
the second week of October. Even though Vermont does not
have an officially sanctioned State Council, National thought
it imperative that we be represented. It is only a matter of
time before a state council is in place. Hopefully Steve will
return with mountains of info for all of us.

I hate to end on a sad note, but recently Chapter One
received resignations from Kym Hoerr and Bill Higgins. It
seems that Kym has a new job and will no longer be able to
perform her duties as Secretary and Board Member. And
after four years, Bill has decided not to continue as Color
Guard Chairman. The Chapter is certainly sorry to see these
two leave office, but we thank them for their dedication and
help over the years, and we hope they continue to participate
on whatev er level they are able to.

The November meeting will be held on THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 2ND AT 7:00 PM at Seward’s Family Res¬
taurant. Saturday nights are becoming a problem, so at the
November meeting we will discuss possible options. Please
come and voice your opinion.

John

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of VVA#1 or WA National.

Membershi|> Notes

Renewal notices for membership will be coming soon.
Take a good look at details for 3 year membership. It will
save you $10, PLUS not having the hassle of getting notices,
sending in dues, having magazine interrupted, etc.

A Big WELCOME to new members Mr. and Mrs. Jo¬
seph Silva, Jim Dyer, Charles Bolack and Larry Conners We
are at 75 members. WELCOME BACK...Bill Barnes, Ri¬
chard Alberty, and Frank Bump; we missed you!

Back newsletters are available for any new members who
are interested. If you would like any or all of them, contact
me or the newsletter committee.

FYI: You have someone wiio would like to join Chapter 1
but can’t locate a copy of his DD214. Call me at 802-885-
2167 and we can probably find a way to get it!

We now have available for members copies of VYA’s
guides on: PTSD, Agent Orange, VA Claims & Appeals, also
self help guides on VA Health Care and Discharge Upgrad¬
ing. For a copy of any of the listed brochures, write to the
chapter.

We will be mailing in a future newsletter 3 membership
applications to each member. The chapter goal is to have 96
members in ’96. We can achieve this with your help. If you
haven’t been able to participate in a chapter activity in the
past year or so, this is your chance!

IbPs Hear From...

Let’s Hear From old timers this month: Albert Trombley,
Jake Jacobsen, and Phil Savery.

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

P9VHi9VH ^9U

formerly

Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

18 Servicemen's Remains Shipped Home For Burial

Reprinted from The Stars and Stripes, 2-8 October, 1995

Washington, DC (Reuter) - The remains of 18 U.S. service¬
men who died in Vietnam and Laos during the Vietnam War
were flown to the U.S. mainland for burial last week, a spokes¬
man for the Defense Department said.

He said the remains were transferred some time ago fi‘om
Vietnam and Laos to a Hawaiian airbase for identification.
On 26 Sept, they completed their journey home for burial on
the mainland.

The remains include those of 12 serv^icemen previously
unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, which have just been iden¬
tified, as well as additional remains of six servicemen. Those
previously unaccounted for include U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. John
F. Barr, of Hope, AR, a pilot who A-4E aircraft was lost
during a strike mission over Hai Phong Province, North Vet-
nam, in October 1967.

His remains were recovered and repatriated by the Viet¬
namese in two phases, in April 1988 and September 1989.

Also found were the remains of Col. Charlie B. Davis Jr.
of Daysboro, KY; Col. Charles S. Rowley of Riverton, CT;
Capt. John C. Towle of Harrisburg, IL; Chief Master S^.
Robert N. Ireland of Theodosia, MO; Chief Master Sgt Ronnie
L. Hensley of Richwood, WV; Senior Master Sgt. Donald M.
Lint of Des Moines, LA; and Tech. Sgt. Stephen W. Harris of
Springfield, MO.

The latter seven were all aboard an aircraft lost during an
armed reconnaissance mission near Ban Tang Lou in Laos in
April 1970.

Army Warrant Officer James D. Carter, of Clarkston, MI,
was aircraft commander of a UH-ID helicopter lost during a
mission over Quang Nai Province, South Vietnam, in June
1968.

His remains were recovered and repatriated in June and
October 1993, together with those of the sfac servicemen’s
remains that had already been identified.

The Pentagon said the names of the remaining service¬
men were being withheld at the request of the families.

13 Center Street

Visit our new expanded
store • All repairs done on
premises • Carrying a large

Sahirday. ^ovembQrii, 1995

line of shoe care products
• Heels While You Wait

Wt ifehey Ony \ftif

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
■ ' alarms & CCTV SYSTEMS

10% Discount on all repairs

Stephen C. Faye

FIELD SUPERVISOR

Ov/ner

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702

13 Center Street. Rutland. VT
Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30, Sat. 8:00-Noon ^

(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878

VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER

U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548^0043

Honor the Vet Program

Each month Chapter One will welcome any new participants in the Hoiot The Vet Program in the newsletto". This will adoiowledge and
thank the business people who are participating, as well as keep you up to date on who is offering what for a discount. The current
participants are listed below with their adtffesses, phone numbers and discounts.

BUSINESS

DISCOUNT

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus

10%

Rt. 7 North, Rut, 773-7322

2. Downtown Has Sole Shoe Repair

10%

Center St., Rut., 747-4060

3. Clem's Kitchen

10%

Wales St, Rut., 775-6104

4. Adirondack Tire Merchants

10-20%

Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

5. Pappy's Restaurant

10% + FREE coffee/dessert

Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

6. Army Navy Store

10%

Center St, Rut, 773-8839

7. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

8. Sal's Restaurant

10%

West St., Rut., 775-3360

9. Howard's Sunoco

10%

S. Main St, Rut, 775-7911

10. Boss Threads

10-20%

Proctor, 459-3393

11. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys

10-20%

Center St., Rut., 773-1488

12. Buxton's Sunoco

5% off labor & parts

N. Main St, Rut, 773-9747

13. Bob's Hunting & Fishing

10%

Chittenden, 773-9507

14. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

20%

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

15. Two By TwO-Handmade wooden jewelry

10%

Pittsford, 483-6121

16. Boise’s Electrical Service
Rutland, 747-4481

17. Bud's Family Restaurant
Evelyn St., Rutland, 775-5981

18. Battery Street Jeans

Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-6445

19. Leather Fashions, Inc.

Woodstock Ave., Rutland, 775-3099

20. Lemon Rentals

Rt. 4, W. Rutland, 800-639-6460

21. McNeil & Reedy, Inc.

Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-7760

Thanks to all these establishments for believing in the veteran! Show your membership card from any veteran's organiza¬
tion (or other proof of service) to obtain your discount at any of these places!

Do you know of a business who might like to participate in The Honor The Vet Program? This program sets a precedent
in the state, & to be strong, it needs businesses. Contact Tom Reardon at 518-499-2488 to have a representative visit the
business & explain the program.

10%

10% before tax
10%

Discount plus they pay the tax!
12% on car or van rentals

10%

Dodge Development Center
Receives Grant For Completion

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Sep¬
tember 22, 1995 that it had awarded the Vermont Veterans
Assistance Office an award of $60,775 to complete the Dodge
Development Center in Rutland for homeless veterans. The
announcement was applauded by Vermont Congressional
delegation which played an active role in securing the grant.

"I am very proud ~ though not surprised ~ that the first
Center specifically focusing on homeless vets in Vermont is
located in my home town of Rutland. There is a spirit among
this group of veterans that makes projects like this happen
and I think the VA saw this in the proposal and decided it was
worthwhile,” said US Senator James M. Jeflford, R-VT, a
member of the Senate Veterans; Affairs Committee and him¬
self a veteran.

’The Dodge Development Center and the Veterans As¬
sistance Office, are, by far, the most successful self-help pro¬
gram for veterans in the state of Vermont and probably one
of the most outstanding in the nation. It stands as a model of
veterans helping veterans. This is a great boon to Vermont
Veterans," said US Rep. Bemie Sanders, 1-VT.

"The fact that we have homeless veterans in our streets is
a national disgrace. I am pleased that we have recognized
our obligation to all Vermont veterans who served their coun¬
try," said US Senator Patrick J. Leahy, D-VT.

There were two key players in the securing of this fund¬
ing. Clark Howland, the Director of Operations for the Vet¬
erans’ Assistance Office, carried the dream of a shelter for
homeless veterans for fifteen years before being able to bring
focus to the necessary forces to secure the US Dept, of Vet¬
erans Affairs award. The second key player, Tony Morgan,
spent weekends and nights assisting Mr. Howland and the
VAO in the writing, organizing, and polishing of the docu¬
ments which eventually led to the US Dept, of Veterans Af¬
fairs funding of the Dodge Development Center. Without
these two outstanding individuals, the dream would still be a
dream. With the assistance of so many, the dream is now a
reality.

On October 4, 1995 Kathy Jurado, assistant secretary for
the Dept, of Veterans Affairs made the ceremonial presenta¬
tion of the $60,775 check to the Board of Directors of the
Dodge De\elopment Center. The ceremony was held at the
DDC on Crescent Street in Rutland, VT. Also in attendance
were Sen. Jim Jefford, representatives from Rep. Sanders
and Sen. Leahy’s offices, reps from the VA in W^te River,
various service organizations around the state, and Mayor
Wennberg. All those in attendance were witness to the re¬
sults of months of hard work and moments of anguish. So let
the demolition begin. Once again we will be looking for vol¬
unteers to perform various building trade tasks. If you are
interested in helping, call 775-6772. Once again, Rutland, VT
has accomplished another first in the state. A special thanks
to all who donated their time and money to such a worthwhile
project.

From the Desk of Steoe Faye, UP

After a short absence from writing an article for our news¬
letter, I am going to try to get back on track and take a break
from work...So here it goes.

First of all, I had the Honor of being asked to be part of the
Honor Guard at the funeral of Ray (Butch) Locke in St.
Johnsbury, Vermont on August 28,1995. It was the first time
I had attended a brother’s funeral and though I don’t show
much emotion as far as grief is concerned, I felt the loss as
much as I did back on August 31, 1969. Butch was an avid
supporter of the Black Rose Band and Veterans Issues. He
has marched in many parades with the various WA Chap¬
ters throughout Vermont and the surrounding states. Butch
will be missed by all and our heartfelt sympathy goes out to
his family.

On a lighter note, chapter #Vs Color Guard had the honor
of marching with Chapters from Bennington, Chester, North¬
ern Vermont and Massachusetts in the 50th Anniversary Pa¬
rade of World War n in Brattleboro in August and had a great
time as we were well received by the citizen of Brattleboro.
They did and outstanding job putting this ev ent together.

On September 10th I represented Chapter 1 at the open¬
ing ceremonies of the Moving Wall in Springfield, MA. To
Chapter 111, you and the Elks Club did a fantastic job. Your
Color Guards looked great and I hope the week was all you
expected from this event. Job well done!!

Speaking of the Moving Wall, I have sent for a packet of
information about having it come back to Rutland for our 20th
anniversary, which will fall in the year 2000. We will try to
make it a week long celebration with dances, bar-b-ques and
memorabilia. We will try to send out invitations to all the
chapters and veterans groups throughout the New England
area, as I would like to see this event be a reunion. Further
information will follow in the next couple of years off and on
as we progress wi± the details. If you would like to be part
of this fantastic e\^ent, you can contact me at 802-775-5105.

I started a project a couple of years ago and would like to
have it finished for Veterans Day 1996. I am talking about
Veterans Plates for the Veterans of Vermont. Why does
Vermont always have to be the last to get anything done, when
most of the states already have their plates in place? 1 did a
survey of all 50 states back in 1992 and found that 38 states
already had their plates and 8 more were just waiting for pend¬
ing legislative action which they were sure they could get
passed. That brings the total to 46. Vermont is really doing
good, at least we weren’t dead last!!! Please contact your
local state representames and ask them to help sponsor a bill
to Honor our Veterans in Vermont.

What do we want our plates to look like? Any sugges¬
tions, please contact me and we can form a committee. It is
time for our Veterans to start being recognized on a daily
basis in Vermont and if we wait for others to get things started,
we’ll all be dead 20 years.

Til the next time.

Steve

Tidbits

• The Bridgewater Veteran’s Memorial will be dedicated on
Saturday, November 11th. The Committee has been working
hard on this project for many months. The monument is be¬
ing erected in memory of Earl Thomas, whose dream it was
to build such a monument, and dedicated to the veterans of
WWn, Korean and Vietnam.

• Word has recaitly been received from Roberts-Aubin Fu¬
neral Home of Pouhney, VT that Bill Grant’s outstanding bill
fcff- his cremation has been paid in full. The VA finally coughed
up $500. Thanks to Michael Boston of Brandon for his gen¬
erous donation and any others out there who may have con¬
tributed to this worthy cause. Also thank you to the Roberts-
Aubin Funeral Home for their help.

• Thank you to (Lt.) Sam Bunge for sending in his three year
membership. We welcome you and your wife Linda into our
little community of fellow veterans and friends. Who knows,
we may all come up to Alaska and pay you folks a visit!

• The belated September 50-50 raffle drawing was held on
October 7th, Richard Cannella won $100.

• The American Battle Monuments Commission says Presi¬
dent Clinton will announce the site of the proposed WWD
monument. After a major fimd-raising campaign, they hope
to break ground by the year 2000. It seems WWIl has no
memorial in Washington. It's about time they got on with it!

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 83

Bomoseen, Vermont 05732
265-8602

VIETNAM VETERANS OF RMERICa

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP APPUCRTION

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans.
Associate Membership is open to family members, friends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 armual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to:
Viemam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name:

•

1 Vietnam Veterans of America 1

Address:

I Chapter One-1996 |

Citv:

State:

Zip:

1 This is to certify that 1

1 John Doe '

Home Phone:

1 is a member in good standing of the 1

I Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7 '

1 Sgt. Pepper •

1 Membership Committee Chairman 1

Vietnam Era

New

Renewal

Associate

New

Renewal

1 Temporary Membership Card j

November Meetins

The next meeting of Chapter 1 will be held on
Thursday, November 2nd, 1996 at Seward's
Family Restaurant on North Main Street in
Rutland at? pm. Hope to see all of you there!

Wanted: Color Guard Chairperson

Interested person needed to assume duties. This
involves responding to requests for our appearance,
as well as organizing participants and planning
coordinates. Please write to the chapter if
V you are interested. >

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Understanding the Value of People

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call; 775-2525
Member FDIC

^ no€^ dke^ca/nJkiA

u^Aa^ cAsmt^fiAtratA,

^ Ia tA&A&A/ier^ u>Ax>-AaAiA:A tA^^
and ia dr€^t>ed^
caAa^ o/AndAytAA^j^ratCAier' to- AurfpdiA^^c^.

^atAxr^Qye^'A.

^diarme' QHu/isi^/v ylssockttu>fv

American Legion Post 37
Unit #37 Auxiiiary Pierce-Lawton
Squadron 37 Sons of the Americn Legion

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

Veteran^

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #J will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their life experience through intervention and social interaction."

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One

November, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 11

From the Desk of
John Bergeron. President

On this cold and snowy November day, the day after Vet¬
erans Day, I have time to reflect on the events of yesterday.
For the first time in many years the WA Color Guard
was well represented at the annual Veterans Day ceremo¬
nies at the American Legion Post 31 in Rutland. The cer¬
emonies began at 11 and for the next hour we listened to
speeches made by the Mayor, Post Commander, Chaplains,
and a nice array of appropriate music for the day played by
the Rutland High School band.

As I was sitting there at the ’’Dignitaries’’ table, I was look¬
ing over the 50 or so attending the event, and I noticed that I
was one of the youngest in attendance. There were a hand-
Ail of’kids’ there and of course the high school band. Now,
how many of the band would of been there if they did not
have to be? I'm afraid that with each passing year there are
fewer and fewer people attending such events around the
country. Putting aside the natural attrition, we seem to have
lost the ’younger generation’. So the question is, how do we
capture their interest? Those vets who have children or grand¬
children obviously have a responsibility to teach them about
respecting the flag and patriotism, and when there are events
like Veterans Day ask them to come along. Schools need to
take a bigger role in teaching them about the significance of
these various days and why we celebrate them. Saying the
Pledge of Allegiance wouldn’t hurt. All the veterans organi¬
zations need to reach out to the community and offer their
assistance and expertise. During the day we discussed vari¬
ous ideas which will be on the agenda at a future meeting.

After the ceremonies at the legion were completed, Jon,
Steve, Tom and myself went racing to Bridgewater. Bill
Barnes went to Poultney to attend a Veterans Day ceremony
there. The towns people of Bridgewater were dedicating a
memorial to those who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam
from Bridgewater. The ceremonies began at noon, so need¬
less to say we were late. We caught the last few minutes and
vere amazed at all the people who were in attendance, even
~ many of the deer hunters took time out to attend. They should

be very proud of what they have accomplished. Andy
Blanchard and the Memorial Committee have work long and
hard to see this through. Andy has told me on occasion that
this has been good therapy for him. He has met many good
people who have come out of the woodwork and volunteered
their time and have made generous donations. They have
raised around $20,000. In fact more than what they needed.
There will be ongoing fund-raising to establish a scholarship
fund for descendants of veterans and also for maintenance of
the memorial. The memorial itself is veiy^ impressive. I sug¬
gest that any of you traveling in that area stop by. It is located
right next to Rt. 4 on the left hand side as you are going East.
For you Marines out there that would be on your right hand
side as you head West. It is right in the center of town in
front of the grade school.

Once again congratulations to the fine folks of Bridgewater.

As a side note, WA #1 Color Guard became celebrities
while there. Everyone wanted to take our picture in front of
the memorial. Our Color Guard laid a wreath at the memorial
after the dedication ceremonies were completed. I would
like to thank Hawley’s Florist for doing such a good job on the
wreath. I would also like to thank Jon Pintello, Bill Barnes,
Steve Faye, and Tom Reardon for taking time out of their
busy schedules and for presenting yourselves in a very pro¬
fessional manner. Thank you.

It seems as if Robert ’’Guilt Ridden" McNamera has re¬
cently made a trip to Hanoi, \^etnam and met with his nem¬
esis Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap. While there Bob asked Giap
what really happened in the Tonkin Gulf on August 4th, 1964?
Giap rephed, "Absolutely Nothing." Apparently that was good
enough for 'ole Bob, because Gen. Giap is a "pretty damned
good source". But my question to Bob McNamera is, can
you believe him?

Also while there he is recruiting Vietnamese officials to
take part in a joint conference of top X^etnam War Decision
Makers. It appears to me that Bob is trying to make amends
for his part in the conflict.

Along the same vein, in a recent New York Times article
someone who was in the same cabinet as McNamera has
refuted much of what is in Bob's new book

See you at the next meeting,
John

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or \\qv/s of VVA #1 or WA National

VEEP’S CORNER

On the occasion of this newsletter, quite a few events have
taken place in the last month and I will start with the unfortu¬
nate news first.

Our sincere condolences go out to Clark Howland and his
family on the loss of his mother last month. Clark has been a
member of Chapter 1 from almost the start and I hope he will
call on us if ever he or his family feel the need.

The Chapter is currently looking for a secretary, color guard
captain and marchers for next years marching season, and a
product sales person. Anyone interested in any of these po¬
sitions can apply to the chapter for consideration.

On a lighter note, I would like to take this opportunity to
thank Chapters 1,601, 723, and 753 for their donations for my
vacation in Washington DC. Actually I had the honor of rep¬
resenting all the WA chapters in Vermont at the National
Board of Directors and National State Council Presidents
Meeting. It was the first time Vermont has been represented
at such meetings.

I was well received and got to see the inner workings of
our national organization and talk with other members from
around the countiy. At that time Vermont was talking about
setting up a state council and we were asked by our Regional
Director, Dan Carr to attend the conference. 1 guess I was
picked because I had the least complicated work schedule
and it was on short notice. It made for an interesting four

l>9Vhi9Vh

formerly

Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

13 Center Street

Visit our new expanded
store • All repairs done on
premises • Carrying a large
line of shoe care products
• Heels While You Wait

We Uphpy Veii

10% Discount on all repairs

0\A/ner

13 Center Street. Rutland, VT
Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30, Sat. 8:00-Noon

days and quite a few friendships came out of the meetings.

These are people that are willing to help us out in setting
up a state council and tell us what worked for them and what
didn’t. I got to see some of the good and the ugly of a national
organization and was real glad that I went. I am not an avid.
supporter of big corporations and went down there with a lot
of reservation about being in a state council situation. When
I left Washington, I had high hopes for not only a state council
to get started, but also high hopes for all our members in Ver¬
mont. It made me feel warm inside and proud to represent
Vermont at the conference. I would like to thank Dan Carr,
Bill Purcell, Malcolm Prescott and Paul Ducharme for all their
assistance while in Washington, and the introductions to the
various key players in the organization. Your assistance was
invaluable to me in knowing who to talk to.

On a personal note to Chapter 1, it was almost like God
himself had entered the room when people found out that I
was from the first chapter in the entire nation. Made me feel
like a celebrity! So I got carried away. Back to reality now,
head not as big as a moment ago. Boy was that a rush!

On a final note, I would like to take this opportunity to wish
Kym Hoerr and Beth Higgins well on their new jobs and the
best of luck in the future. Kym will be missed at our meet¬
ings. Beth will be staying on as our newsletter editor.

Till next time. Semper Fi
Steve

Editor's note: Since Steve wrote this article, the positions
of Color Guard Chairman and Secretary have been filled.

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Understanding the Value of People

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call: 775-2525
Member FDIC

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

HELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 773*7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548-0043

Honor the Vet Program

Each month Chapter One will welcome any new participants in the Honor The Vet Program in the newsletter. T his will
acknowledge and thank the business people who are participating, as well as keep you up to date on who is ojBfering what
for a discount. The current participants are listed below with their addresses, phone numbers and discounts.

BUSINESS

1. Northeast Army Navy Surplus

Rt. 7 North, Rut., 773-7322

2 . Downtown Has Sole Shoe Repair

Center St., Rut., 747-4060

3. Adirondack Tire Merchants
Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

4. Pappy’s Restaurant
Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

5. Army Navy Store
Center St., Rut., 773-8839

6. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

7. Sal’s Restaurant
West St., Rut., 775-3360

8. Howard’s Sunoco

S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

9. Boss Threads
Proctor, 459-3393

10. Michael’s Handmade Wooden Toys

Center St., Rut., 773-1488

11. Buxton’s Sunoco

N. Main St., Rut., 773-9747

12. Bob’s Hunting & Fishing

Chittenden, 773-9507

13. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

14. Two By Two -Handmade wooden jewelry
Pittsford, 483-6121

15. Boise’s Electrical Service
Rutland, 747-4481

16. Bud’s Family Restaurant
Evelyn St., Rutland, 775-5981

17. Battery Street Jeans
Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-6445

18. Leather Fashions, Inc.

Woodstock Ave., Rutland, 775-3099

19. Lemon Rentals

Rt. 4, W. Rutland, 800-639-6460

20. McNeil & Reedy, Inc.

Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-7760

DISCOUNT

10 %

10%

10 - 20 %

10% + FREE coffee/dessert

10 %
5%
10%
10 %
10 - 20 %
10 - 20 %
5% off labor & parts
10 %
20 %
10 %
10 %

10% before tax
10%

Discount plus they pay the tax!
12% on car or van rentals

10%

Thanks to all these establishments for believing in the veteran! Show your membership card from any veteran's organi¬
sation (or other proof of service) to obtain your discount at any of these places!

' Do you know of a business who might like to participate in The Honor The Vet Program? This program sets a prece¬
dent in the state, & to be strong, it needs bu^sses. Contact Tom Reardon at 518-499-2488 to have a representative visit
the business & explain the program.

Membership Notes

A Big WELCOME to new associate member Jim
Rader. Jim works for Congressman Bemie Sanders. He's
not a new face to Chapter 1 as he at one time was member
#106! Jim has offered to come to a chapter meeting and fill
us in on Beltway Happenings.

For those who didn't notice: Chapter 1 had 3 entries
under Membership Notes in the October 95 Veteran.

Let's Hear From,»»

This month we'd like to hear ifrom Paul Albro, Joe
Donaldson, and Ken Bates. We were doing pretty good on
responses for awhile, but lately it's slacked off. Come on,
guys, we knowyou're out there, we can hear you breathing!

But, this month we do have a couple of responses to
print. One is fi’om Lifetime member Michael Boston, and
the other is a response (primed here with his permission) to
a letter 1 sem some time ago to Joe Yandle inviting him to
join Chapter 1 upon his arrival in Vermont.

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

Dear John,

I want to say hello to everyone and thanks for this op¬
portunity to do so. I'm real glad the DDC has expanded
and our chapter has a good newsletter. I have several items
of business to see to. One is I'd like to clear several of your
minds up as to nty "loner" status. Maybe you should look it
up in a dictionary. I've been married, I run a small "public"
type of business, and I have a couple of fi'iends locally with
whom I meet on a regular basis. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The other item is about Bill Grant's unpaid fimeral ex¬
penses. As I understand it the VA paid a little, nothing came
fi'om the Pouhney veterans organization that he was a mem¬
ber of and $ 150.00 was donated by WA Chapter # 1. It's
disturbing that I heard his son could've put the $500 he col¬
lected fi'om the VA for medical experimentation toward the
fimeral expense. He didn't and he's irresponsible for that.
But I would like to help and ask others as well to help take
care of this debt. It would raise all of our esteem, the Chap¬
ter, the Gram fomily, the Roberts-Aubin Funeral Home, etc.
if we didn't leave this piece of unfinished business just hang¬
ing there. Over the last 2 months I've sem two $25 checks
to the R-A Funeral Home. They couldn't tell me the exact
bill but said it exceeded $500.00. I will offer this, if Chapter
#1 lends me the balance of the bill, I will pay the Chapter
back on a monthly basis with some additional to cover in¬
terest lost on the withdrawal. If we can do anything, we can
at least bury our own dead.

Sincerely,
Michael Boston

Ed. Note: Thanks to Michael for Ws admirable offer to pay
the outstandine debt, but the bill at Roberts-Aubin Funerd

Home has been paid in full. We are all lucky to have a fiiend
and brother as honorable as Michael.

Dear Dick:

First, let me apologize for taking so long to get this off to
you. I hope that this finds you and all of the members of
Chapter #1 well, and in the very best of spirits.

I warn to thank you for your offer to join Chapter #1.1
am honored that you would consider taking me as a mem¬
ber of your chapter - the 1 st in the country. As you know,
my sentence h^ recently been commuted, and I am cur¬
rently awaiting a decision fi'om the Massachusetts Parole
Board as to when, or ifl will be released on parole. We had
hoped that this thing would have gotten done by now, but
there has been a holdup because of the season and the feet
that members of the board are on vacation. The decision
must (I guess) be made by the full seven member board.
Hopefully that will occur very soon.

After 24 years in prison Dick, I feel that it is going to be
necessary for me to take some time to get my life with my
wife and kids back together again. We know that this will
be a very diflBcult transition for all of us concerned, and we
want to go very slow. I have decided that I will put all other
business aside for awhile so that Jan and I can concentrate
on our relationship, and so that I can concentrate on the
difficult transition back to a "normal" way of living. I will be
living at a halfway house in Rutland (Dismas) for at least 90
days, and will see what happens after that.

For the time being I am going to keep my membership
with Chapter #216 - at least until it expires - and will then
consider changing over to Chapter #1. I think, at least for
the time being, that would be the best thing for me to do. It
will give me a little peace of mind, and will also give me the
opportunity to meet with you and your members before
rnaking any kind of commitment for the future. What is im¬
portant right now is that I have the chance to get my fife
back together, and be able to si>end as much time as pos¬
sible with Jan and our sons.

Again, I want to thank you for thinking of me. It cer¬
tainly helps to know that I will be accepted by my brother
veterans in Vermont. Going to Vermont after spending all
these years in prison is a scary pro jxjsition, but that is where
my life is.

Take care, thanks again, and please give my best to your
board and membership.

Semper Fi,
Joe Yandle

Vermont State Council Meeting

Saturday, December 16th at 1 pm
Seward’s Family Restaurant
All delegates urged to attend

News From a Past President

Many new members and even some who have been with
us for awhile may not know that I do a monthly AM radio
show called "Vet's Net" with Ed Anderson one Friday after¬
noon each month.

Basically the show purpose is to update the community
and especially veterans of what is new on the veterans scene.
Of course I do add my feelings on certain issues from time to
time as is my prerogative. Each show is announced in ad¬
vance and I will certainly attempt to contact our newsletter
editor in time to get that info out each month.

Guest are sometimes invited on the program and anyone
who wishes to guest is welcome to call me at (802) 265-8755.
Last month’s guest was the President of the Board of Direc¬
tors of the Veterans Assistance Office, Bob Rummel. He did
an eloquent job of explaining what the VAO is and also up¬
dated the listeners on the progress being made on the Dodge
Development Center. Bob is a member of WA #1 and is
Dean of Students at Castleton State College. Thanks a lot.
Bob, for another job well done.

My November guest was Paul Terenzini, President of the
Rutland Veterans Council. He discussed the current projects
of the Council, as well as the Veterans Day ceremonies at the
American Legion Post 31. Of course WA #1 sent a color
guard and I was proud to serve as a member representing the
1st WA Chapter in history.

One more note of interest -1 was present at the meeting
with the Regional Director Dan Carr and members of the
other 3 chapters in Vermont. Congrats to all who participated
in getting a Vermont State Council formed and special thanks
to Steve Faye for his efforts on the Councils behalf - also
congrats to Steve on his election as interim VP of the council
and to our newly elected delegates.

The news director of WSYB Radio is Joel Williams, a
member of Chapter 1. Joel has been gracious enough to say
he would be glad to make any announcements WA U 1 wishes
to get on the air at any time. Also you may contact me with
announcements and I will air them. Oh yes, each new busi¬
ness and every business participating in the Honor the Vet
program is mentioned on my show every month. We have 20
at present and Fm sure that number will be growing.

That's about it for now brothers and sisters - I’ll update
you from time to time.

God Bless You All,
Bill Barnes

Last of Area’s
Vietnam MIAs
Coming Home

Reprintedfrom

The Post Star Glens Falls, NY

Michael D. Balamoti, a former Air Force navigator who
once worked for General Electric in Hudson Falls, is among
11 veterans whose missing-in-action status was put to rest by
the Pentagon on Monday.

"It’ll give us a little closure," Maria Galvin, Balamoti's former
wife, said Monday from her home in Syracuse.

It was on Nov. 24, 1969, while his pregnant wife and 3
year old son, Jeffrey, slept on nearby Okinawa, that Balamoti
and seven airmen left for a top secret mission from which
they'd never return.

Their C-130A plane was ripped apart by a surface-to-air
missile and plunged into the Laotian jungle below, Galvin said.
It was the first C-130 shot down during the tumultuous war.

"It was top secret," she said. "For years they never even
told me where he went down because we were not supposed
to be over Laos."

With political tensions eased in recent years, a joint Ameri-
can-Laotian search team set off into the jungle in the fall of
1993 and recovered the remains.

"They did find the wreckage that they finally identified as
the plane," Galvin said. "They weren't able to find enough of
one person. They found bits and pieces."

It took two years, a plethora of studies and more than one
committee to finally agree that all eight servicemen have been
accounted for, Galvin said. They will be buried as a group
Nov. 28 in .Arlington National Cemetery.

"They were supposed to have this burial last October,"
Galvin said. "We’ve kind of been on hold for over a year."

For local veterans, Monday’s announcement was a sur¬
prise, though some of them hoped the news would be of find¬
ing Michael Balamoti alive.

Donald Amorosi, a member of Chapter 79 of the
Adirondack Vietnam Veterans of America, has gained re¬
nown locally for his refusal to forget the soldiers unaccounted
for in Vietnam.

For years, Amorosi has worn a bracelet that displays the
name of Balamoti, who is the only serviceman hsted as miss¬
ing among the 53 wiiose names are etched on the local Viet¬
nam memorial.

"The hope always was that someday you would be able to
reach out and hand it to him when he came home," Amorosi
said of the bracelet. "Second to that, there’s no way I can
understand what his wife and family have gone through for
all these years."

On Nov. 4, the local veterans already had planned a 10-
year rededication of the granite memorial that stands on the
ground of Adirondack Community College.

Amorosi and other veterans on Monday said the ceremony
will now be even more special.

”It's amazing to me. I'm thrilled,” said Jim Brown, presi¬
dent to Chapter 79.

Galvin, who has kept in contact with Amorosi over the
years, said she and her family - she has remarried - will at¬
tend the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery next month
along with other relatives of Balamoti's.

She does not plan to attend the local rededication but said
she was at the initial ceremony 10 years ago.

Looking back on the war that claimed her husband's life,
Galvin said, she does not hold a grudge.

"Mike was a patriot," she said. "He really believed in what
he was doing and he believed he doing the right thing. 1
can't say otherwise."

In addition to Balamoti and the seven servicemoi shot down
over Laos, the Pentagon Monday announced the recovery of
the remains of three other veterans.

They also were shot down during war missions.

December VET NET to Feature
Captain Red McDaniel

by Bill Barnes

This afternoon I had the honor to speak at length with
Captain Red McDaniel. Most of you know of his brilliant and

VET
NET

1380 am on your Radio Dial
2nd Friday of each month
from 3-4 pm
Hosted by Ed Anderson
Reported by Bill Barnes

December 8th, 1995, Special Time • 4-5 pm
Topic: POW/MIAs

Special Guests via telephone hook up - Capt.
Red McDaniel & hopefully Sen. Bob Smith

"The purpose of the Vet Net is to keep veterans within
iistening distance informed of veterans issues such as VA
benefits, iegisiation, the Dodge Development Center, local
veterans groups, & special events in the veteran community."

heroic military career; if not, ask a member that does know -
the captain's story is truly remarkable.

At this time Captain McDaniel is Director and Founder of
the American Defense Institute in Washington. His time is in
great demand but he works endless hours attempting to sat- ■
isfy those who need his counsel. This man is and always has
worked very hard to resolve the POW/MIA issue - he prob¬
ably has more information on this issue than any other and
continues to tirelessly work toward the only acceptable end -
THEY ALL COME HOME !

On Decembers VET NET radio program on WSYB 1380
AM of Rutland, a telephone hook up vvdll be made with the
captain himself Also, Senator Bob Smith of NH may be able
to join our program. Sen. Smith did a 2-2 1/2 hr. program on
C-SPAN TV on October 31 concerning nothing but informa¬
tion on the POW/MIA issue.

I have ordered the "Freedom Series" from Capt.
McDaniel's institute - it will contain three books and a video
or two and some other teaching tools about POW/MIAs. The
books are 1) Kiss the Boys Good-bye; 2) Scars and Stripes,
written by Red about his ordeal as a POW in Vietnam; and 3)
Americans Abandoned. Capt. Red asked if I would circulate
the entire series to all our veterans organizations and also to
try to bring the series to area schools and put on programs
teaching our children the truth about WWI, WWII, Korea
and Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Russia, China and more who
have held against their will our brave soldiers.

At the Captains request I wrote Sen. Smith and asked for
transcripts from the C-SPAN show in October. Fm hopeftil
they will be forthcoming before air time.

I have approached Legion Posts 31 and 49, VFW Post
648 and WA #1 to ask that together we can pay the ex¬
penses incurred in my efforts. I will see the Rutland Vets
Council as well as Legion Post 50. If we split the costs of
putting on these programs they will be small. I can not con¬
tinue this project without support fi*om all the organizations.

Examples of expenses are: The Freedom Series cost
$49.90 plus $3.05 shipping - that's just the cost, each indi¬
vidual book would be worth that. The phone calls I have to
make to Washington, the radio stations and the radio station
call ins hook ups cost dollars. My last attempt to put this
together my phone bill was $200. I would love to be able to
afford to do this myself but I can't. I'm not asking for a wage
- just pull together and cover the expenses needed to make
the program work to it's full potential.

I hope each of you can listen in on December 8th, the day
after Pearl Harbor Day, to my VET NET program. I hope
each and everyone of you can use the Freedom Series to
learn and teach the real truth to all who will listen. I also hope
each member will read Sen. Smith's transcripts from C-SPAN.

I am expecting an answering machine soon so as not to
miss any calls: my number is 265-8755, and my mailing ad¬
dress is 16 Benson Lane, Fair Haven, VT 05743. Please feel
free to contact me anytime. Thank you for your time.

VA Approves Homeless
Assistance Grant Awards

Reprintedfwm The Stars and Stripes, 16-22 October, 1995

By Judith Speizer Crandell

Stars and Stripes Staff Writer

Contradicting rumors that the programs would be cancelled for
lack of funds, the VA recently awarded over $6.37 million to 28 pub¬
lic and private nonprofit groups for developmait of new homeless
veterans programs under its Homeless Provides Grant and Per Diem
Program.

Grants ranging from $14,300 to more than $575,000 will siqjple-
ment up to 65 percent of the cost to acquire or renovate supportive
housing or service centers. One grant will help supply a van for a
mobile service unit.

"We have seen a keen interest from America's communities in
joining our fight against homelessness," said VA Secretary Jesse
Brown. "The grants we have awarded over the past two years are
establishing strong community partnerships necessary to deliver
the lifeline these veterans need."

In addition to the grants, the 1992 law establishing the program
authorizes the VA to provide per day payments to eligible groups or
organizations that established supportive housing or service pro¬
grams for homeless veterans after 10 Nov., 1992.

The grants were part of some $75 million spent by the VA in 1995
for specialized homeless assistance programs, including establish¬
ing four new programs for mentally ill veterans.

The VA said it expects to spend $77 million on its homeless
programs in 1996 with approximately $6.4 milliai allocated to grants
and per diem.

JON PINTELLO
INSURANCE SERVICES

P.O. Box 83

Bomoseen, Vermont 05732
26&8602

VIETNfIM VETERANS OF RMERICR.

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP RPPUCRTION

Name*_

Address:_

City:_State;_Zip:_

Home Phone:_

_^Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate _ New_Renewal

I-1

VietDam Veterans of America
Qapter One -1996

This is to certify that

John Doe

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7

Sgt. Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

state Council = Reality

by Steve Faye

On October 28th, 1995, the members from Chapters 1,
601, 723 and 753 met at Sewards Family Restaurant here in
Rutland to discuss and elect interim officers to the first ever
Vermont State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America.

In attendance was our Regional Director, Dan Carr and
Bill Purcell from the Massachusetts State Council to oversee
the elections.

The result of the elections were as follows:

John Miner President

Steve Faye V-President

Russell Farrar Secretary
Ed Jones Treasurer

802-447-0407 Chap. 601
802-775-5105 Chap. 1
802-875-2510 Chap. 723
802-524-6654 Chap. 753

These are interim officers until the June elections, when
the regular officers will be elected. We had the elections at
this time in order to get the process for a charter started.
The process will take approximately five to six months.

As soon as all the paperwork has been filed with National,
they will cut a check for close to $2,000 for the upstart of the
state council. Remember all those $2.00 payments that came
out of your dues? That is wfrat will be coming back to us here
in the state.

We are actively seeking members to serve on the state 1
council committees and representatives from the chapters and
members-at-large to the council. Anyone that is interested in I
being part of the State Council can contact any of the officers
listed above. Your views and suggestions are very important
to us, please contact us and let us know what you would like
to see happen.

This is your council and I urge all to participate in it’s meet¬
ings and events.

More news will follow in the upcoming newsletters and
you will be able to see our progress.

Congratulations to the new officers and a prosperous new
adventure as we step into the unknown.

December and January Meetings
Scheduled for Thursday Nights

The next two meetings of Chapter 1 will be
held on the first Thursday night of the month
in an effort to make meetings more accessible
for members. December 7th, 1995 & January
4th, 1996 are the dates of the meetings, and
they will be held at 6 pm at Seward's Family
Restaurant on North Main Street in Rutland.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

BigiMitiiR mmwLwrm
MUST m m

U¥iR mi
mar mi
mm, §iiD YOUR
JlRtiOLlO m liRLY!

"Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #/ will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their life experience through intervention and social interaction."

Vietnam Veterans of fimerica
Chapter One

December, 1995 • Newsletter • Number 2, Vol. 12

Season* s
greetings
and

ISe$i IfOiskes
(or a oer^

Httppv yeart

It is our policy to provide an open forum to all. Therefore, the articles, letters and ads contained
herein do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of VYA #1 or VYA National.

An Unknown Soldier Writes Home

The following is a letter written by an unknown soldier while
serving in the "Nam". It was written to Karen on 7/19/68. Karen
was 15 and living in the Rutland area.

To whom it may concern;

Here I am, pen in hand. And like always I've nothing to say.
I'll probably never mail this, I may not even finish it. But one
knows what a comfort it is to write a letter to people back home,
knowing that the person who reads it will care about what I am
saying.

I guess since I really don’t have anyone to tell my troubles to I’ll
just write them out and I will feel better.

I can't help but talk about the girl back home even though I
know that she said good-bye to me a long time ago.

It still hurts a little when I say her name. But, I suppose Fll get
over it just like I have so many times before.

When I try to look into my future it looks so very dim. I don't
have anyone to come home to any more.

I have go a brother, but he could care less. But, all in all, I
know that once a long time ago we were a family and a good one,
too. Now here I am a man at last. I am serving in the only way I
know how and that is to give my life for my country and it's cause.
I feel like I am doing a good thing.

Yet sometimes I wonder why all men are not eager to come
over her and defend their country and the freedoms they enjoy
each day.

Where are all the brave young men who are so ready to give
their lives for their country and freedom?

formerly

Brownsville Girl Shoe Repair

13 Center Street

Visit our new expanded
store • All repairs done on
premises • Carrying a large
line of shoe care products
• Heels While You Wait

Wt Oky l/eff

10% Discount on all repairs

Owner

13 Center Street, Rutland, VT
Tues.-Fri. 8:00-5:30, Sat. 8:00-Noon

They are gone, and all that remains is a hollow shell of what
used to be.

Every day things are growing worse. Not only over here, but at
home as well. If the world should end tomorrow, it would be good.
If only I could live to see it. I know it would be a world beyond my
wildest dreams. And vAicn I die I will go to heaven, because I
have already been to hell.

Since I have been in this place call Vietnam I've seen many
men die. I have faced death many times and have almost died
myself. But life is so hard to face, dying would be easy, it's living
that's so hard.

A man can open his eyes over here and really see wiiat life is
like, he thinks about the real things in life, a woman, a car, or
simply his home and how it was when he had to leave it. I guess
even the strongest man in the world cries at one time or another,
it’s no shame, it's hard for a man to leave home and his wife and
son knowing that he may never return.

Deep in my heart I know that I must come back for I never had
love and everyone must have love or he has never lived.

I can see her now, her long beautiful hair shining in the warm
sun. The joy in my heart when she says "I love you", and then the
pain when she says good-bye. But life is that way, and it’s beauti¬
ful and someday, somewhere I'll find love. I’ll marry her. I'll love
again only to die again.

She will be everything I've dreamed of, I can feel her warm
hand in mine, her soft kiss and her gentle smile. When she says
she loves me I’ll live like a king forever, and never be alone again.
We will grow old together, we will share our lives and really live
life like it really is. Then I’ll go away and someday meet her in
heaven, where we will live and love again, because now I know
the saying is true "You’ve never lived until you have almost died".

A Coming Home Soldier
All the boys from
HHC 1st Bn (M) 50th Infantry
173rd Airborne Bde.

Editor's Note: How many letters similar to this one were sent
home and how many weren't?

A few days after Karen received this letter she was informed
that this unknown letter writer's platoon was involved in a firefight
and most of the platoon were killed.

We would like to thank Karen for sharing this with us and
giving us permission to print it in our newsletter. If anyone has a
letter that we could print we would like to hear from you. Please
send it to WA #!, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702.

GUARDS • INVESTIGATIONS
ALARMS & CCTV SYSTEMS

Stephen C. Faye

HELD SUPERVISOR

BOX 479 RUTLAND, VERMONT 05702
(802) 773-7305 - FAX 773-3878
VERMONT IN-STATE WATS - (800) 696-DETER
U.S. OUT-OF-STATE WATS (800) 548^0043

Honor the Vet Program

Each month Chapter One will welcome any new participants in the Honor The Vet Program in the newsletter.
This will acknowledge and thank the business people who are participating, as well as keep you up to date on who
is offering what for a discount. The current participants are listed below with their addresses, phone numbers and

BUSINESS DISCOUNT

1. Northeast Army Navy l^urplus

Rt. 7 North, Rut., 773-7322

2 . Downtown Has Sole Shoe Repair

Center St., Rut., 747-4060

3. Adirondack Tire Merchants
Strongs Ave., Rut., 775-1944

4. Pappy's Restaurant 10% + FREE coffee/dessert

Merchants Row, Rut., 775-7489

5. Army Navy Store
Center St., Rut., 773-8839

6. Ron's Sunoco

Woodstock Ave., Rut., 773-2790

7. Sal's Restaurant
West St., Rut., 775-3360

8. Howard's Sunoco

S. Main St., Rut., 775-7911

9. Boss Threads
Proctor, 459-3393

10. Michael's Handmade Wooden Toys

Center St., Rut., 773-1488

11. Buxton's Sunoco

Main St., Rut., 773-9747

12. Bob's Hunting & Fishing

Chittenden, 773-9507

13. Greg Barsanti, C.P.A.

Merchants Row, Rut., 773-4038

14. Two By Two-Handmade wooden jewelry
Pittsford, 483-6121

15. Boise's Electrical Service

Rutland, 747-4481

16. Bud's Family Restaurant

Evelyn St., Rutland, 775-5981

17. Battery Street Jeans

Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-6445

18. Leather Fashions, Inc.

Woodstock Ave., Rutland, 775-3099

19. Lemon Rentals

Rt. 4, W. Rutland, 800-639-6460

20. McNeil & Reedy, Inc.

Merchants Row, Rutland, 773-7760

10 %

10%

10 - 20 %

10 %
5%
10 %
10%
10 - 20 %
10 - 20 %
5% off labor & parts
10 %
20 %
10 %
10 %

10% before tax
10%

Discount plus they pay the tax!

12% on car or van rentals

10 %

Thanks to all these establishments for believing in the veteran! Show your membership card from any veteran's
organization (or other proof of service) to obtain your discount at any of these places!

Do you know of a business who might like to participate in The Honor The Vet Program? This program sets a
precedent in the state, & to be strong, it needs businesses. Contact Tom Reardon at 518-499-2488 to have a
representative visit the business & explain the program.

Letters to the Editor

Dear members,

The last few weeks have been very productive for
this active Veterans Advocate.

Phone calls and letter writing have been keeping me
very busy. All three members of Congress have been
contacted about the veterans position on the Bosnian
troop deployment. General Edward's oflBce weighed in
with information about the VT National Guards Moun¬
tain Battalion and their current involvement in training
over in Germany.

1 have attended VFW Post 648's meeting as well as
Legion Posts 50,49, and I will attend the upcoming Post
31 meeting. The Rutland Veterans Council also met and
listened to a program presentation I made on the Vet Net
activities I've been involved with to date. Post 50 or the
American Legion and the Veterans Council voted to sup¬
port my program on the POW/MIA presentations at
Rutland County schools. Both donated $100. Joel Wil¬
liams of WSYB in Rutland donated $50. Those funds,
$150 which I've already received, have helped to keep
me on the road and in picking up other expenses. (Post¬
age, copies, phone calls, gas, oil, etc.)

VET I
NET

1380 am on your Radio Dial
2nd Friday of each month
from 3^ pm
Hosted by Ed Anderson
Reported by Bill Barnes

“The purpose of the Vet Net is to keep veterans
within listening distance informed of veterans
issues such as VA benefits, legislation, the Dodge
Development Center, local veterans groups,

& special events in the veteran community. “

1 regret to inform you that Legion Post 49, my own
town post, voted not to support my program efforts. I
was saddened, shocked and very disappointed.

However that is their right. Unfortunately I could not
in good conscience, remain a member of Post 49 and
immediately transferred to Post 50.

Governor Christine Todd Whittman of New Jersey
came to Vermont on many speaking engagements and
dinners. While at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, I
publicly asked her to request her state senators to sup¬
port legislation currently in the Senate on the "Missing
Service Personnel Act.": She stated that she would do
that. I then presented the Governor with a POW/MIA
bracelet with James E. Dooley's name on it. He is of
course a Vermonter. Governor Whittman said she would
wear the bracelet until Dooley's case was resolved. A
small victory for our side.

Congressman Sanders called me at my home today
requesting the oflBcial press release from the various Vet
organizations. Since I have talked personally with the
VT State Dept. oflBcers of the DAV and VFW, consulted
all four WA Chapter Presidents and a couple of WA
State Delegates, and also talked with American Legion
National and the Rutland Vets Coimcil president I was
able to give Rep. Sanders that release.

Another bit of news: I now host a national satellite
radio program called "SOAP BOX" on the Eagle radio
network. I have visited their broadcast center in
Northfield Falls, VT. Between 600 and 700 low power
FM stations pick up this program all over the country. I
am honored to be able to forward VT veterans concerns
to the entire nation. It is a call-in program on Monday
nights from 8-9 PM. The phone number is (8002) 405-
8257. I will soon be able to pass on a list of stations that
pickup the broadcast.

1 have written 13 schools, so far, to ask if I will be
allowed to produce the POW/MIA presentation. Other
veterans, public speakers, will assist me in this effort.
No response as yet, except when I personally met Sanford
Bassett, principal of RJHS. He stated he would check
with the school board to make sure it is "Politically Cor¬
rect."

Americans Abandoned, the video is presently being
shown on Channel 15. Although it is not a scheduled
showing, it will be scheduled soon. Carolina Cable in
Castleton and Fair Haven, Channel 11 will show the video
at noon on Saturday the 23rd.

That's about it for now. I'U keep in touch and inform
you all about progress in the future. I am totally com¬
mitted to this effort.

God Bless,
Bill Barnes

Membership Notes

Does anyone know Vets from California, Florida or
Maine? Now that we have members in Hawaii and
\iaska, as well as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New
York, Colorado, Indiana (plus many VT communities),
it would be nice to BRACKET the country with Chapter
1 members!

Let’s Hear From...

This month we'd like to hear from Randall Dockstader
(our newest Life member), Walter Crossman and Robert
Slabey.

Dick Doyle, Membership Chairman

VIETNfIN VETERfINS OF RMERICR,

CHAPTER ONE

MEMBERSHIP RPPUCimON

Membership in Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter one is open to all Vietnam Era Veterans. Associ¬
ate Membership is open to family members, fi’iends, and concerned citizens. Return this
form with $20 annual membership dues and a copy of your DD-214 (if applicable) to;

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One, PO Box 6301, Rutland, VT 05702. Upon receipt
of your dues. Chapter One will issue a temporary membership card like the one below. This will
serve as your authorized membership card until you receive one from National.

Name;_

Address;_

City:_ State;_ Zip;

Home Phone:_

_Vietnam Era _New_Renewal

Associate _ New Renewal

Vietnam Veterans of America
Chapter One -1996

This is to certify that

John Doe

is a member in good standing of the
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #7

Sgt, Pepper

Membership Committee Chairman

Temporary Membership Card

We proudly support the

Vietnam Veterans of America
- Chapter One -

Green Mountain Bank

Understanding the Value of People

80 West Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701 • In Rutland call; 775-2525
Member FDIC

"Memories of Maggie"

Hot off the presses and highly recommended by
Kym Hoerr, retired WAC, "Memories of Maggie"
is the story of a very dedicated woman, who served
quietly and heroically through three wars in places
only solders went. Of course you all know that
woman as Col. Maggie, Martha Raye, comedienne.

The book is by Noonie Fortin, a woman army
veteran of the Vietnam Era who retired after 20 years
of service. Noonie was among those who cam¬
paigned tirelessly to help attain the Presidential
Medal of Freedom for Col. Maggie.

Check your local bookstore or order the book from:
Langmarc Publishing, P O Box 33817, San Anto¬
nio, TX, 78265-3817. The cost is $15.95 plus $1.50
shipping.

VT Veteran’s Home Board Meeting

The Board of Trustees of the Vermont Veterans Home
will meet at 1100 hours on January 16th at Post 31 Ameri¬
can Legion in Rutland. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Special thank you’s are going out this month to Wise
Rentals of Killington, who generously donated a copier
to WA #1. Also thank you to Dave Petty and Russ
Barlow, Sr. "V^ce and Jr. Vice Commanders of VFW Post
648 for their help in securing the copier, which was
picked up by Bill Barnes on December 11th.

January Meeting Scheduled
for Thursday Night

The next meeting of Chapter 1
will be held on the first Thursday night
of the month in an effort to make
meetings more accessible for members.
January 4th, 1996 is the date of the
meeting, and it will be held at
6 pm at Seward's Family Restaurant
on North Main Street in Rutland.

Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter One
P.O. Box 6301
Rutland, VT 05702

Please Forward

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"Vietnam Veterans ofAmerica, Chapter #I will assist Vietnam Era Veterans, their families &
others in the enhancement of their life experience through intervention and social interaction."

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Full text of "VVA Chapter 1 – Newsletter 1995"

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